The Best Foodie Gifts & Experiences For Valentine’s Day
THE FRENCH CLASSIC:
La Poule Au Pot, Belgravia
With its intimate booths and abundance of dried flowers and candles, La Poule au Pot has ready-made ambiance that is sure to go down a treat on Valentine’s Day. This year, the charming French restaurant has put together a special ‘Saint Valentin’ menu. Only available on the evening of 14th February, the decadent menu will include three courses for £75 – diners will be able to choose from French classics such as escargots, coquilles Saint-Jacques (scallops), confit de canard, tarte tatin and mousse au chocolat.
Visit PouleAuPot.co.uk
THE HAMPER:
Ottolenghi
Ottolenghi has created a Valentine’s hamper any foodie will love. The box will feature the brand’s signature tahini linzer hearts, PB&J rocky road bars, coconut and strawberry meringue brittle, Brunsli flowers and shortbread hearts. Each comes packaged in an Ottolenghi branded box that’s tied with a red satin ribbon – there’s also the option to add bottles from the Ottolenghi wine list to each order.
Visit Ottolenghi.co.uk
THE AT-HOME FEAST:
Dishpatch
At-home meal kit brand Dishpatch has curated a roster of romantic menus for diners to enjoy. Michel Roux Jr’s Valentines Dinner à Deux box offers four courses including champagne and saffron soup with poached scallop and sourdough; beef wellington for two red wine jus and potato and celeriac dauphinoise; and a chocolate and whiskey tart. José Pizarro’s Spanish Steak Supper contains 30-day dry-aged Basque sirloin served with a bitter leaf salad, triple cooked chips and confit piquillo peppers. El Pastor has a Taco Party Box with slow-cooked lamb shoulder as the centrepiece. Of the collection, we’ve got our eye on the Valentine’s cassoulet, chocolate mousses and wines from St John.
Visit Dishpatch.co.uk
THE EXPERIMENTAL BAR:
The Umbrella Project, Shoreditch
The Umbrella Project has teamed up with Finland’s Kyrö Distillery to create the Draw Back Your Bow, cocktail made with Kyrö New Make rye spirit, lingonberry cordial, fig leaf liqueur and rose vermouth. Designed for two to share, the drink is available throughout February at Discount Suit Company in Spitalfields and in the 12-seater The Umbrella Workshop in Shoreditch. Those unable to visit the bars need look no further than The Umbrella Project’s online shop, where they can buy the limited-edition Draw Back Your Bow Cocktail Gift Set which includes the bottled cocktail as well as two nick and nora glasses.
Visit UmbrellaProject.co.uk
THE AT-HOME SPREAD:
Iberica
Looking for an easy win? Iberica has released two hampers filled with authentic Spanish tapas – ideal for a relaxed night in. The Tapas For Two Date Night Food Hamper delivers the likes of Iberico ham, manchego cheese, truffle crisps, sliced octopus and olives with a bottle of cava. Alternatively, the Cava & Albert Adrià Hamper contains a bottle of Vilarnau Brut Cava plus Turron Trufa Blanca – a traditional Spanish nougat with white truffle – and a bar of milk chocolate with hazelnut and passionfruit.
Visit IbericaFood.com
JWHOWARD PHOTO
THE WINE:
Love Bite
Want to split a lighter bottle of red? Love Bite is a low-intervention fresh beaujolais-style cinsault from Nouveau Wine, a 100% vegan wine brand that delivers nationwide. Picked from an ‘old block’ overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the wine comes from the Stellenbosch area of South Africa and offers a healthy concentration of red fruits, soft tannins and a moreish saline note. The excellently designed Love Bite bottle features artwork by James Graham.
Visit NouveauWine.co
SIMON BROWN
THE HARD-TO-GET TABLE:
Mount St. Restaurant, Mayfair
Mount St. Restaurant – the sophisticated, art-filled restaurant that opened in Mayfair just before Christmas – is the most romantic spot to admire art and your lover. Share the sumptuous lobster pie or the specially created beef wellington for two, which is available for one night only on 14th February. Sink into the restaurant’s distinctive chairs and enjoy a glass of red with your partner surrounded by works from Warhol, Picasso and Matisse to name a few. Top the evening off by sharing a decadent dessert of heart-shaped dark chocolate and praline mousse with rose and raspberry bavois.
Visit MountStRestaurant.com
THE COCKTAIL:
Love Potion
The beautiful Scarfes Bar at Rosewood London has launched its Valentine's edition bottled cocktail. Created by the award-winning talented bar team, Love Potion is a blend of Roku gin, lychee wine, Linden honey and citra hops, making it an interesting gift for cocktail aficionados. The bottled cocktail is available to order online with name personalisation for an extra touch.
Visit Shop.RosewoodHotels.com
THE FUN LAST-MINUTE TREAT:
Gail’s Hot Lips Biscuits
Gail’s Hot Lips biscuits are a simple way to celebrate Valentine’s Day. On chocolate shortbread, the deep red colour of the icing’s fun lip design comes from natural sources of beetroot, plums and radishes, and is carefully applied by hand in the chain’s bakeries. The biscuits can be bought individually or in boxes of five. To start the day right, pick up the Gail’s Breakfast in Bed hamper, which contains all of Gail’s cult favourites – think cinnamon buns, plain croissants, a wasteless loaf, a stick of whey butter, a jar of Seville orange marmalade and two small bottles of the daily dose orange juices.
Visit GailsBread.co.uk
THE LOW-KEY NIGHT OUT:
The Cadogan Arms, Chelsea
The Cadogan Arms is offering couples a three-course Valentine’s Day menu this year, but we also love the sound of the Oyster & Martini Flight, which is available from 13th to 19th February. On Valentine’s Day itself, the menu includes the likes of caramelised onion tart with berkswell and waldorf salad; steak rossini with foie gras, beef fat brioche and madeira jus; and a 70% chocolate tart with buttermilk ice-cream.
Visit TheCadoganArms.London
THE SPLURGE:
Seventy One Gin X Trudon
Award-winning ultra-premium gin Seventy One has partnered with candle-maker Trudon. The two brands have come together for Valentine’s Day to create the ultimate Feu De Nuit box, which contains a 700ml bottle of gin with a hidden drawer beneath that reveals six black Ernesto-scented tapers. The nuanced scent of Ernesto features notes of leather and tobacco, which pair well with the floral and intensely aromatic fragrance of Seventy One.
Visit SeventyOneGin.com
THE ROMANTIC ITALIAN:
Luca, Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell’s much-loved Luca is one of London’s most beautiful restaurants – and the ideal spot for a romantic dinner. Guests can start their evening at the pretty bar with a cocktail and plate of the kitchen’s signature parmesan fries, before moving into the main dining room or the secluded terrace surrounded by olive trees and jasmine (which is warmed by an open fire) to enjoy roast Orkney scallop with Jerusalem artichoke and ‘nduja; followed by Hereford beef fillet with braised short rib, potato purée, roasted Italian onions and winter truffle.
Visit Luca.Restaurant
THE EVENT:
Arcade Food Hall, West End
Guests at Arcade Food Hall can book a complimentary serenade for their significant other or friend via the venue’s roaming Barber Shop Quartet. If your other half is more low key, join Sushi Kamon’s omakase counter, where the team will be serving up an 11-course menu for £75pp that includes tempura oysters with caviar, cured sea bass nigiri and yellowtail shabushabu, as well as a special sparkling sake to celebrate the occasion. The one-off Valentine’s menu will be available at 6.30pm and 8.30pm on 14th February, and at 8.30pm on 17th and 18th February.
Visit ArcadeFoodHall.com
THE DELIVERY:
Nonna Tonda
If you fancy a romantic Italian feast at home, try pasta delivery service Nonna Tonda. Exclusively for Valentine’s Day, the brand has launched two limited-edition dishes: ravioli milanese with sage, rosemary and chervil butter; or a vegetarian option of trofie with romanesco broccoli and walnuts. Just pair with a selection of antipasti – including prosciutto, olives, cheeses and tapenades – for a two-course feast. Even better: use the code ‘VDAY30’ for 30% OFF your first two Nonna Tonda deliveries.
Visit NonnaTonda.co.uk
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