Pastry

150 g flour

90 g butter

2 tbsp cold water

Filling

• 50 g flour
• 40 g good quality cocoa powder
• 100 g muscovado sugar
• 120 g caster sugar
• 120 g butter
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• 150 g walnut pieces

Preheat the oven to 180 C.  To make the pastry put the flour and butter into a food processor and mix while adding in the cold water.  Process until the mixture forms a ball.  Press into a slice tin and then put this in the fridge for 20 mins while you make the filling.

To make filling, put the flour, cocoa and sugars in a bowl and mix.  Melt the butter and stir into the flour mixture with the lightly beaten eggs and vanilla.  Add in 100 g of the walnuts and then pour into the pastry shell.  Sprinkle the remaining walnuts onto the top of the slice and bake for about 30 mins.  Cool and cut into slices.

• 3 ½ c pitted dates, roughly chopped
• 1 c brown sugar
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 c water
• 1 ½ c crystallised ginger, roughly chopped
• 2 ¾ c flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs lightly beaten

Place the dates and the sugar, butter and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil.  Add the ginger and cool.

Preheat the oven to 170C.  Stir the flour, baking powder and eggs into the date mixture and pour into a greased loaf tin.  Bake for about an hour or until a skewer comes out clean.