• Place dates, water, flaxseed meal and bicarbonate of soda in a high-powered blender or food processor, stir to combine. Stand for 5 minutes.
• Add sugar, oil and spice. Process until well combined and dates are chopped but still a little chunky, 5–10 seconds.
• Add flour and baking powder, process on low speed until just combined.
• Grease a 2L pudding basin with olive oil using a pastry brush. Pour in date mixture. Give it a couple of bangs on the bench to release any air bubbles. Cover pudding with lid or foil, sealing tightly.
• Place inside slow cooker, then add water until pudding basin is two-thirds submerged. Cover and cook for 5 hours on high.

5 HOURS LATER

• Check a skewer inserted in the pudding comes out more or less clean – not covered in raw mixture. If needed, cover and cook for a further 30 minutes on high.
• Once cooked, remove pudding basin from slow cooker and allow to stand for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a serving plate. It’s warm and ready to serve! Cut thick slices and serve with cream, gooey caramel sauce, poached pears, ice cream or fresh strawberries . . . or a combination. Just as good served cold, so don’t stress if you’re struggling to get the timing exactly right – you can make it up to 3 days in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge.