Date and Walnut Bread

Taken from 'Fairworld' cookbook - This is sticky and fruity tea cake which comes from a book written by Margaret Costa called 'Four Seasons Cookery Book' This has just been brought back ito print after an absence of 26 years. A sign of a book being a classic is whether its recipes stand the test of time. This recipe is as young and lively as it was 20 years ago

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 300  ml milk
• 40  g butter
• 75  g black treacle
• 350  g plain flour
• 3  teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 75  g dark muscovado sugar
• 100  g dried dates, coarsely chopped
• 50  g walnuts, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3 and grease and flour a 450 g loaf tin. Warm the milk with the butter and treacle until the butter has just melted. Stir the dry ingredients together and stir in the sugar. Mix in the chopped dates and nuts. Stir in the liquid, mix to a smooth batter and turn out into the loaf tin. Smooth the top and bake in the oven for 1 hour or a little longer until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.