Date Pudding

2 tablespoons butter    
1 1/2 - 2 cups boiling water    
1 teaspoon bicarb soda    
2 cups flour    
1 cup sugar    
250g raisins    
130g chopped dates

Method
Melt butter and pour into 1 cup of water.
Add bicarb soda to the rest of the water.
Mix both into dry ingredients.
Place in a prepared pudding cloth and boil for 3 hours.

Pudding Cloth
To prepare a pudding cloth, dip it in boiling water, then ring out (wearing gloves).
Lay it flat on your bench and rub flour into the centre in a circle about 40cm wide, this creates the pudding skin.  Place pudding ingredients in, wrap up then tie with string.
Immediately submerge in boiling water.