Preheat the oven to 180 C or 350 F and grease a loaf tin with butter, or line it with a loaf liner.

Begin by pitting the dates. I like to do this by splitting the date in half and removing the seed.

Once all the dates are pitted, chop them up into bite-size pieces, think the size of miniature chocolate chips. Use a sharp knife, it will make a big difference!

Tip the chopped dates into large bowl, and pour in the rum. The rum is optional (see notes), but it adds a subtle caramel undertone to the loaf that you won’t want to miss.

Let the date soak up the rum for a few minutes, you can also do this overnight for a more pronounced flavour.

Next, pour in the boiling hot water (if you're omit the rum, just use ¾ cup boiling water instead.)

Also tip in a teaspoon of baking soda, and just stir everything till incorporated. The mixture will become thick will emulsify slightly. Let it cool while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt, then set aside.

Now return to the dates, and add the sugar and the egg, mixing till well combined.

Next, add the vanilla extract, followed by the nuts.

Once combined, add in the flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.

Finally, stir in the melted butter. The batter will be rather thick, incredibly flavourful and beautifully fragrant.

Pour the bater into the prepared loaf tin, and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, maybe with a few damp crumbs. If you notice the top of the loaf beginning to brown too quickly (this might happen after around 30-40 min), slide a piece of aluminium foil over the loaf tin and continue baking.

Let the loaf cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Although this tastes wonderful warm, it actually has a more pronounced flavour the next day. I like to enjoy it with a cup of coffee, perhaps some butter on top.

The loaf lasts about a week if sealed properly. You can store it in the fridge or at room temperature.