Preheat the oven to 180°C fan and line a square 20cm oven-proof dish with baking paper.
Soak the dates in 200ml of hot water while you complete the next steps.
Cream the margarine, sugar and vanilla extract together, then add the bicarbonate of soda and vinegar.
Gently stir in the flour, baking powder and milk.
Blend the dates with the water until smooth and mix into the pudding mixture.
Pour the mixture into the dish, then bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Make the toffee sauce by heating all the ingredients in a small saucepan until boiling, then turn the heat down and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave for a few minutes to thicken.
Serve a big slice of pudding with a generous drizzling of toffee sauce.

Vegan Christmas recipe: sticky toffee pudding