A Meal to Remember - Valentine's Day Food Ideas

🕤 2 min read

Looking to make this Valentine’s Day that little more special with a homemade three course meal or maybe something a little simpler for the easily flustered? We have compiled a few ideas for the romantic night that everyone can enjoy making. 

Takeaway

It might seem like a cheat, but who doesn’t love a meal brought to your door for you to devour together. It means no dirty pots or dishes meaning a nice relaxing evening while you pop on your favourite film or TV show. 

You could even order from different places if the fancy takes you so you can order your favourites and enjoy tasting each other's food…and maybe stealing the whole thing. 

Meal Kits

For a little in the kitchen why not get a restaurant style meal kit to make your favourites or try a new restaurant. These have become massively popular thanks to the pandemic with plenty of restaurants offering it. 

A few of our favourites are the exquisite Dishoom who offer a breakfast and home feast option for those looking for a spice adventure. 

For those looking for a classic burger with a new twist, we adore the Almost Famous kits. Big burgers and filled with delicious toppings. Be warned these do go up in batches so make sure you get them before they are gone. 

The perfect date night activity for sharing the load and having a bit of fun in the kitchen. Perfect for all levels of cooks. 

Keep It Simple

For those who struggle in the kitchen but want to make an impression, preparation is key so why not go with a few sharing plates and get the sangria flowing with a Tapas night. 

Tapas is perfect for any date night as you can get so much done and out of the way earlier in the day or even the night before for the super organised. Perfect for picking at all night. 

BBC Good Food have a great selection of suggestions and why not serve up a board of meats and cheese with some olives to go along with it all. 

Show Off

If you want a challenge or think you are Gordon Ramsay in the kitchen, hopefully with less cursing on Valentine’s Day night, why not push yourself to pull out a three course meal that is bound to impress. 

It doesn’t have to be lobster and over the top but just something like making your own pasta and ravioli will impress on any date night. This date night recipe from online cook Babish is a must and great for mixing and matching to suit any dietary needs. 

Dan’s Recipe

As the resident cook in my house and Pure Luxuries, I have a few recipes in my back pocket for special occasions that I would love to share for this special day.

Ingredients you will need:

• 1 Onion 
• 5 Cloves of Garlic
• 1 Stick of Celery
• Mint - 1-2 sprigs of leaves
• Risotto Rice 75g per person
• Pancetta (Optional) 
• Peas (a rough handful)
• Parmesan Cheese 
• 1 teaspoon of Butter 
• 1 glass of Wine (Optional) 
• 1.5L Stock

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 25-35 minutes

Method:

A simple risotto can make any chef look like a star, thanks to plenty of time for preparation. 

A personal favourite of mine is pancetta, pea and mint for a refreshing yet sumptuous meal. Start with your pancetta in a cold pan with a little drizzle of oil and turn on medium to render out the fat and get crispy morsels and a flavoursome start. Put aside the pancetta and keep as much of the fat in the pan. 

From there add finely diced onions and garlic to the same pan with any other veg you would like such as celery finely chopped. Sweat these down in the pan once cooked for about 2-3 minutes then add your risotto rice. Toast this in the pan for 2 minutes to add a layer of deliciousness. 

Add a glass of wine if using and then slowly add stock of your choice and keep stirring the rice and adding more stock as the pan starts to dry out. 

Keep adding stock and tasting the rice for doneness and taste. Once the rice is softened with a little bite add your peas, frozen are completely fine alongside thinly sliced mint leaves, I suggest a sprig or two. Turn off the heat. 

From here add a little bit of butter and a good grating of parmesan cheese. Taste again and season with salt and pepper as necessary however parmesan is salty so it should be perfect. 

To make it vegan simply remove the pancetta and use a vegan butter substitute and parmesan substitute.

Simply serve immediately and add your pancetta to the top with a small drizzle of olive oil. Bon Appetit.  

Whether going all out or just ordering in, we hope you have a lovely Valentine’s Day. For even more ideas for the romantics, look no further than our own Rachael's perfect date night ideas. 

What will you be eating this Valentine's Day?