Food & Wine Ideas for Valentine's Day

Good quality wine recommendation and decent recipe ideas. Nothing in the shape of a heart or claiming to be an aphrodisiac.

Valentine’s Day is also my birthday, so I have very conflicted ideas about what a Valentine’s Day meal should look like.

Firstly, I really can’t get behind the themed set menus. I hate when they say that a glass of Champagne is included but they serve you Prosecco. I hate when it’s over-packed but under-serviced. And I hate how the deserts are always either strawberry, chocolate, or shaped like a heart. (Wow, glad I got all that off my chest!)

A scene from Sex and the City with two characters nearly as grumpy as me about over-done V-Day.

I’m certainly not saying that every Valentine’s Day offering at every restaurant in the world is bad value, however being surrounded by love diners whispering quietly into each other’s ear and a limited menu isn’t my idea of a good birthday. So, invariably, my husband and I opt to eat in.

Birthday meal in 2021 (doing some prep work for The Wine Society, but didn’t mind!)

In the UK, we had a tradition of ordering Thai or Chinese food from our favourite takeaways. Anyone who’s ever tried Thai or Chinese food in rural Provence will understand why we stopped this tradition. Anyone who hasn’t tried it, don’t.

The nice thing about cooking your own food on Valentine’s Day is that it does give you the guilt-free opportunity to spend more than you normally would. And for me, since I tend to be a large family style meal cooker, the idea of thinking of a menu where you will be 50% of the eatership is also quite challenging.

So, in lieu of anything that remotely resembles Asian food near us, it’s a task I’ve taken on and so here are some menu ideas for Valentine’s Day and wines that I might pair with them .

My self imposed rules:

• Nothing with too much garlic or raw onion (makes me unwell)

• Nothing in the shame of a heart (also makes me unwell)

• No gimmicky aphrodisiacs

• Absolutely nothing with a sparkling wine foam

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Starters

Idea One: Lobster Thermidor

Photo by Joy Real on Unsplash

Whilst I actually prefer crab to lobster, Thermidor is more winter-friendly with its comforting sauce and - importantly - is a better match with the style of wine that I’m in the mood for drinking in February. The other convenient truth, although less convenient for lobster, is that half a lobster is the perfect size for a starter size for a couple.

I like this Waitrose cookery school video for how to prepare it. I tend to dial down the mustard though (personal choice.)

Wines with Lobster Thermidor

I’m going to go traditional here and say that French is best. The obvious choice is white Burgundy with the creamy texture, hints of oaky nutmeg, sweet(ish) fruits and just enough acidity to cut through the cream. But another option worth considering is an older, Semillon-heavy, oaked white Bordeaux - rich and unctuous and lightly spicy. (I should mention that both of these would be great with Coquilles Saint-Jacques too, for all the same reasons.)

This Saint-Aubin Premier Cru, Domaine Gérard Thomas from Waitrose (£38) would hit the spot and screams celebration. Saint-Aubin can offer great value for money still, whilst many of its neighbours seem to be going through the roof in Burgundy.

Or, at nearly a decade old, this Château de Chantegrive Blanc, Cuvée Caroline, Graves 2016 from The Wine Society (£14.95) is ridiculously good value. Bordeaux at its best but less well-known than the reds. Whilst I would gladly hang on to this for another five years, it’s great now and still holding on to plenty of fruit.

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Starters

Idea Two: Beetroot and Goats Cheese

Whilst I hate heart-themed dining, there is something pretty about the pink colour created on the plate when beetroot and goat’s cheese get together. Whilst they’re a perfect partnership, finding wines that work with both simultaneously can be a challenge. Believe me, I’ve tried it many times. Beetroot is earthy and slightly sweet, goat’s cheese is tart and fresh, and so finding something to marry them is important.

These Napoleons are simple and delicious, so long as you buy high quality ingredients.

Wines with beetroot and goat’s cheese

The wines of the Loire Valley in France are pretty much built around goats cheese, and I find the rosé and reds particularly great for beetroot too. (The Loire makes wines from Gamay, Pinot Noir and - most importantly - Cabernet Franc and these lighter bodied, tart wines are great. I’ve cheated a little on the red as I prefer South African Cabernet Franc but you get the idea.)