There's only one simple rule when it comes to buying the perfect Valentine's Day gift: make it edible! And we've made it even easier for you with our top 12 gifts.
Dell'Ugo have made an extra special 'sweet' edition for Valentine's Day – chocolate-flavoured pasta pockets filled with a creamy, dark chocolate ganache. You just boil the pasta as you would usually, and eat it hot! Team lovefood had a go... surprisingly delicious, but you might want to 'pretty-it-up' a bit with a sprinkling of icing sugar, or a few fresh berries. And 10p from each pack sold will go to the Have a Heart charity for disadvantaged children.
A genius idea from the folk at Bea's of Bloomsbury. As well as heart-shaped inscribed brownies (£2.40 each), loveheart cupcakes (£2.50 each), and a fantastic Valentine's hamper stuffed full of chocolate, cake, champagne and marshmallows, they are also baking Voodoo brownies with mini plastic daggers for those who don't take such a romantic view of Valentine's Day.
The eggless one
Why should vegans have to miss out on heart-shaped cookies? Vegan Cake Direct has over 25 years' experience, and their limited edition Valentine’s hamper is fuller than a vegan’s veg patch with cupcakes, biscuits and chocolate hearts, all made using organic ingredients. In fact, we're pretty sure non-vegans wouldn't even notice the difference...
Feeling the pinch? Not to worry – you can impress on the cheap by rustling up some of our love-tastic recipes for dinner. How about Elizabeth David’s moules marinière to start, tender beef stew for main, and chocolate torte for pudding? Oh, and ice cream truffles for midnight nibbles.
Everyone loves Ferrero Rochers, and they're one of the more 'sophisticated' chocolates on the market - perfect for impressing your lady/man friend this Valentine's Day. And for the occasion, the folk at Ferrero have designed a special gold, heart-shaped box, containing ten of the little chocolates. Perfect for sharing, but even better for scoffing alone!
Coeur de Neufchatel, a smooth and creamy cow's milk cheese, must be the most romantic cheese in the world. It dates back over a thousand years and, during the Hundred Years War, legend has it that local girls from Neufchâtel-en-Bray offered the cheese to English soldiers, who thought it tasted like heaven. Paxton & Whitfield have moulded theirs into a heart shape to celebrate Valentine's Day.
What could be better than flowers? Edible flowers is what! EdibleBouquets.co.uk has a stunning range of all-you-can-eat bunches; our favourite is the pink posey, an arrangement of pink chocolate-dipped strawberries and pineapple flowers. No watering needed, although constant ‘trimming’ is strongly advised.
Would m’lady care for some personalised champers? Give your Valentine’s tipple an extra touch by plastering your loved one’s name across the bottle. And, as with almost every online Valentine’s gift we found, it comes with the option to add a sentimental message. How about ‘Let’s get fizzical’! Or 'You make my heart go pop!'
We tasted this is the office and, between us, Andrew and I ate the entire thing in under 45 minutes. Gulp. Chococo's 'Cocoa pod of love' is rather like an Easter egg... but instead of an egg, it's shaped like an (edible) cocoa pod, and inside is the most sensational selection of handmade chocolates. My favourites were the smoked sea salt caramel filled mini cocoa pods.
Chef Loretta Liu at On Patisserie in Knightsbridge is renowned for her macarons, and to mark the day of love she has created a limited edition macaron shaped like a heart. Each box contains 12 (hand-piped and hand-decorated) love bites, which come in three different flavours: strawberry and chocolate; raspberry and rose; and morello cherry and pistachio.
Planning to watch a romantic movie on Valentine's night? Then it has to be done with a seductive bag of Joe & Seph's popcorn at your side, which comes in both a 'girl' flavour (caramel, white chocolate and strawberry) and a 'boy' flavour (caramel, macchiato and Scotch whisky) – although we suggest sharing.
Millie's Cookies has gone BIG on Valentine's Day this year, baking giant heart-shaped cookies to be shared between two. You can write your own icing message, and it comes in a half-and-half style, which means you can split your edible heart into two flavours... so no excuse for an argument!
How about some sweeties for your sweetie pie? Hope and Greenwood have a splendid range of romantic sweet treats, including bags of 'candy sweethearts', 'juicy kisses', 'love bites', 'sour love hearts', 'sweets for my sweet shake', and 'cherry pie'. There's also a box of 'tickled pink' truffles and some candy floss, if you'd prefer. A great little gift, if you're a wee bit strapped for cash - each bag is about £3.99.
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