Recipe

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare a large 9- × 13-inch baking dish by coating it with a thin layer of nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place two of the teabags in a teapot or a heatproof cup filled with the boiling water. Cover with a towel or tea cozy and allow it to steep until quite strong but still piping hot, about 5 to 7 minutes. When the tea has steeped, remove the tea bags and measure out 1 1/4 cups of tea. Add the dates to the tea, cover with plastic wrap and allow the dates to reconstitute for 5 minutes. Stir in the milk and baking soda, cover again with plastic wrap and allow to cool to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, along with the cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice, cloves, salt and pepper. Tear open the remaining tea bag and stir it in until well combined.
4. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter, both sugars and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Mix in one-third of the our mixture, just until combined, followed by half of the date mixture. Repeat this process with another third of flour, the rest of the date mixture and ending with the final third of flour.
5. Pour the batter into your prepared baking dish and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the center is springy and a toothpick inserted in the center of the pudding comes out clean.
6. While the pudding bakes, make the toffee sauce by combining the sugar, cream and butter in a medium pot and bringing it to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Boil the toffee sauce for 3 to 4 minutes, and then remove from the heat and stir in the salt and vanilla. Keep the sauce warm over low heat until you’re ready to serve.
7. To serve, pour half of the sauce over the warm pudding. Serve the remaining to toffee sauce on the side, along with some vanilla ice cream if you’re feeling extra indulgent.

Note: The pudding and sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead. To store, tightly cover the pudding with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature. Transfer the sauce to an airtight container and store it in the fridge. To reheat, poke the pudding all over with a fork and pour half of the sauce over top. Cover the pudding with aluminum foil and heat in a 300°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until warmed through. Reheat the remaining sauce in a pot over low heat or in the microwave for serving.