Spiced Date & Walnut Loaf

110g margarine
110g dates - chopped into small pieces
50g walnuts - chopped finely
200g brown sugar
175ml milk
2 eggs
225g flour
1 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp soda bicarbonate
12cm x 30cm loaf tin

1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees celcius.
2. Place margarine, brown sugar and milk in a large pan and melt them together over gentle heat. Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes.
3. Beat eggs and add to syrup mixture. Sift flour, spices, ground ginger and soda bicarbonate into a bowl and gradually whisk the syrup mixture into the dry ingredients, little by little, until it becomes a smooth batter.
4. Then lightly fold in the walnuts and about 2/3 of the dates.
5. Pour the batter into loaf tin.
6. Now, lightly drop the rest of the dates on top, pushing them gently in with a skewer to give better distribution. Place cake in the centre of the oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours to 1 hour 50 minutes, to get a very rounded, slightly cracked top.
7. Cool in the tin for 1/2 hour before turning out.