Caroline was exclaiming that neither of the restaurants she wanted to book for Valentine’s Day had a table left. So what should she do instead? I got to thinking, perhaps on the night itself have a Valentine’s night in and eat at a favourite restaurant another day.
So it will need a little planning. You need to start now – get online and get ordering!
Chocolate
My personalised bar from Yucoco
Head along to the Yucoco site and order up a special chocolate bar. I rather enjoyed deciding which toppings I should add to the bar – there are many from which to choose.
I chose raspberry, hazelnut, apricot and florentine as well as the glitter!
As you can see from mine, I decided to add a little edible glitter too! When you’ve made your choices, you can personalise the bar by adding a name. This requires a little ingenuity as there is a fixed number of letters. You then choose a card to accompany the bar to send your greeting. Once you’ve checked ou,t the bar will wing its way to you in just a few days. Perfect! The bar is a generous size and beautifully packed, tastes really good and is guaranteed to make your valentine smile!
Flowers
I thought of edible flowers and whilst you can order online, it’s just that bit too early for most suppliers. Maddocks Farm Organics and Greens of Devon will start supplying in March. Then I discovered, the Wild Edible Flower and Herb Foraged Bouquet from Tregothnan in Cornwall – just perfect.
A edible bouquet
Drinks
A little bit of fizz is in order. I recently tasted some lovely sparkling wines from Great Grog. There were two different Proseccos that caught my eye Prosecco Ca’ Bolani Spumante and Proescco Ca Bolani Frizzante. It all depends just how fizzy you like your Prosecco – the spumante is fizzier. My personal choice was the Frizzante – just fizzy enough. It had beautiful peachy and citrusy-flavours and it’s just £8.45 a bottle. If you order 12 bottles (of any sort) you get free delivery.
What to eat
So there’s no stress or anxiety, I think little or no cooking should be done. Peelham Farm have some wonderful organic charcuterie, pies and ham to choose from. For fish lovers, I suggest Hebridean Food Company’s Hebridean Supper Hamper – lobster and crab for two and for cheeselovers, a selection from Clarks. There are plenty to choose from.
Cheese selection from Clarks Speciality Foods
All you need is some great crusty bread from your local bakery (check out our list of Edinburgh bakeries).
Peelham Farm Charcuterie Selection
And so onto dessert.
I had a particularly memorable dessert at One Square, Edinburgh that inspired my interactive dessert.
Make a selection of berries, gently spiced. Then add the toppings of your choice. Toppings could include toasted nuts, marshmallows, meringues, cream and even liqueurs. Let you and your loved one be creative and have fun!
Sprinkle your dessert with a selection of toppings
Have a great Valentine’s Night in, but don’t delay!
- 1 pack of mixed fruits
- 1 tablespoon sugar (or to taste)
- 1 2 cm cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 3 cardamom pods.
- Gather a selection of toppings such as toasted nuts, marshmallows, coconut, cream, liqueur etc.
- Gently bring the fruit, sugar and spices to the boil, then simmer until softened. Set aside until required.
- Serve in a beautifuly bowl and have fun adding the toppings.
Danielle tried Yucoco at their invitation.
Cheese! Thank you for good ideas. I got as far as ‘something bubbly and a nice dinner’. Dinner will now be cheese platter, with good bread – I’ve got some great rye in the freezer – fruit, membrillo, and various anti-pasti (roasted peppers, artichokes and olives). Followed by interactive dessert, of course. Easy, indulgent and lovely.