Valentine's Dinner
Next week is a big one for us and many of our customers, as it is Valentine’s Day. But who was Valentine? When did we start celebrating it? And what is the best Valentine’s dinner to prepare?…read on.
A present we wouldn’t suggest is Valentine’s Meat Juice which was created as a medicine in the 1800s to help cure Anne Maria Valentine. She apparently recovered and her husband, the gloriously named Mann S. Valentine II, bottled the stuff and started selling it. For a while it was amazingly popular but after a few years he turned into a food supplement rather than a medicine.
What we would suggest is that you have a look at some of our other valentine gifts such as: our wonderful range of MELT CHOCOLATES – a collection of luxury chocolate bars which are filled with an exceptional range of interesting and delicious flavours!
Alternatively why not try our Salted Caramel Biscuits KENSINGTON GIFT TIN, from one of our favourite family businesses, started in 1962 by to young farmers and still going strong.
We also have a really fun range of HOKEY POKEY that come in gift bags. They're a combination of delicious melt in the mouth honeycomb, and the finest French chocolate, makes this a hard to resist luxury chocolate treat.
Of course, if you are cooking a special Valentine's meal – we have an amazing range of ideas and beautiful savoury foods in our VALENTINE'S COLLECTION which, amongst other things has this eye popping VALENTINE'S BOEUF EN CROUTE - our pan-seared Scottish Highland Fillet of Beef with a coating of chicken liver pate and sautéed mushrooms, all encased in puff pastry.
There is also our star steak – WAGYU SIRLOIN – which is on special offer this week. Fantastically marbled, superior tenderness with a delicate sweet flavour. It really is the most loved of steaks.
And whilst you are enjoying any of those very special culinary delights – here is your indispensable Valentine fact guide to amaze your partner with your knowledge of this most loved of days.
Who Was Valentine? Valentine's Day is named after St. Valentine. He was a priest in third century Rome who defied Emperor Claudius II's ban on marriage (he thought it distracted young soldiers), illegally marrying couples in the spirit of love until he was caught and sentenced to death. Another legend suggests that Valentine was killed for attempting to help Christians escape prison in Rome, and that he actually sent the first "valentine" message himself while imprisoned, writing a letter signed "From your Valentine."
When Did It Become A Celebration of Love? At the end of the 5th century, Roman Pope Gelasius officially declared the date of February 14 "St. Valentine's Day." It wasn't until until the Middle Ages, though, that the holiday became associated with love and romance, a tradition that first started from the common belief in France and England that birds started their mating season on February 14.
What Is The Best Valentine’s Meal? Truly – I think the best meal is the one made with love – whatever you are serving. But the most popular dish of the day, according to the BBC Good Food Magazine is steak – which is why we have made steak our special offer this week.