Preheat the oven to 180oC, 350oF, Gas Mark 4
Pour 175ml of boiling water over the dates and set aside to soak and cool. Sift the flour and soda together.
Add the essences to the milk.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs slowly, waiting until it has been incorporated each time, before adding more.
Fold the flour and milk alternatively into the egg mixture. Lastly, pour in the dates. The mix will be rather light and runnier than a cake batter. Ladle into 6-8 greased individual moulds and place on a baking sheet in the centre of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes
approximately, until the puddings are firm and starting to pull away from the sides of the moulds.
Remove from oven and turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
To make the butterscotch sauce, put the butter in a medium-sized saucepan, over medium-high heat. When the butter is bubbling, add the brown sugar. Stir together for about 3 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved, and the whole mass is foaming and bubbling. Carefully pour in the cream, followed by the Bushmills, and turn down the heat. Let it all come together and boil for about another minute or two, and then
remove from the heat. Add the vanilla. Allow to cool slightly.
To serve, place the puddings on warm plates and ladle a generous spoonful of the sauce over each one. Dollops of whipped cream will top them off perfectly. If wrapped in clingfilm, the puddings keep well for a couple of days, and can be re-heated in just a minute or two in the microwave or covered in some of the sauce in a medium oven.
