truffled-spinach-ricotta-ravioli.png Here’s a great sharing starter for Valentine’s day that also just happens to hearken back to the Roman origins of pasta as a fried, rather than a boiled, dish (pasta was not generally boiled until late Medieval times). The addition of a few cheat’s ingredients means that these impressive canapés are quick and easy […]

This simple starter contains two of the staple Valentine’s day ingredients: seafood and pasta. Make the most of the prawns by roasting the shells to flavour the olive oil. There’s also a bit of a punch here from fresh chillies (though you could substitute dried flakes [or milder peppers] for a gentler heat). Orichette (literally

If you hadn’t cottoned on yet, I absolutely love duck meat… it really is one of my favourites. My husband taught me how to make classic French magret de canard and this recipe is based on that. It’s an ideal recipe for an intimate Valentine’s night meal and as the prunes need a week’s macerating it’s also

This combination of red velvet cupcakes and cheesecake (they have a cream cheese based filling) is ideal for Valentine’s day and makes a great breakfast with coffee and tea. They can also be served throughout the day. Prep time 25 minutes/Cook time 20-25 minutes/Makes 18 Ingredients: For the cheesecake filling: 230g (1 cup) full-fat cream

There’s nothing like a baked cheese for sharing, and toast for dipping in it. This makes a baked cheese a perfect starter for Valentine’s day. This version is made a little more ‘chefy’ by adding smoked garlic to the cheese and topping the bread with basil pesto. Prep time 5 minutes/Cook time 20 minutes/serves 4

Apart from mackerel, sea bass is undoubtedly my husband’s favourite fish. It’s also a great fish to cook for a romantic Valentine’s (or St Dwynwen’s) meal. This is a restaurant-quality dish that you can easily, simply and quickly prepare at home (which I think is ideal for a Valentine’s meal — cook simply, cook quickly

Based on thumbprint biscuits (cookies), these tasty jam-topped biscuits are excellent as a Valentine’s day gift. They also go very well with possets, custards and creams. As they keep well for a few days, then can be made well ahead. Prep time 15 mins/cook time 15 mins/Makes 14-16 Ingredients: 100g (1/2 cup) icing sugar (plus

Possets go back to Elizabethan times, when milk, cream and sugar started to become more commonplace, particularly in cities. This was the start of the spread of city dairies and the spread of Mediterranean sugar production. Possets are basically sweetened fruit purees beaten with cream. They are easy to make, delicious and lend themselves well

Mussels are another Valentine’s day classic. Often, they are cooked as a starter. This dish, however, is more substantial and is intended as a main course. This is also quick to cook, so you can spend more time with your Valentine. In this recipe the strong flavours of the mussels, chorizo and cavolo nero are

morning-after-rooibos-tea.png Rooibos, the dried leaves of Aspalathus linearis, a broom-like member of the plant family Fabaceae (beans) that grows in South Africa’s fynbos biome. The leaves are used to make a herbal tea that is called rooibos, bush tea, red tea, or redbush tea. It has been used as a re-hydrating tea for thousands of years.