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Say it with chocolate: sweet ideas for Valentine’s Day

by Great British Chefs 20 January 2016

Looking to impress the chocolate lover in your life? Pick them up something extra special or make you own gift using the finest ingredients at home.

Great British Chefs

Great British Chefs is a team of passionate food lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest food stories, news and reviews.

Great British Chefs

Great British Chefs is a team of passionate food lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest food stories, news and reviews.

Flowers, jewellery, cologne – these classic Valentine’s Day gifts are guaranteed winners on 14 February. But for food lovers (especially those with a sweet tooth), you can’t beat a bit of chocolate. This gives you two options; buy something special from a top chocolatier (companies such as Godiva always have a special Valentine’s Day range) or shoo your partner out of the house for a day while you melt, temper and chill something special yourself.

It’s probably best to leave boxes of chocolates to the experts, unless you have a variety of moulds to hand, but you could make some hand-rolled truffles flavoured with your beloved’s favourite ingredients. Bruno Loubet makes his truffles extra indulgent with Drambuie, while Paul A Young stays true to quirky form with his Port and Stilton offering. For a pretty finish, try covering your chocolates in crystallised rose petals, seen here in Karen Burns-Booths recipe, or personalise mendiants like Louise Robinson with brightly coloured nuts and flowers. Just make sure you buy the best quality chocolate you can find – it’s the most important ingredient.

Just desserts

If you’re planning to cook a romantic meal on Valentine’s Day, then the world’s your oyster in terms of chocolate. A rich, indulgent dessert is the perfect way to finish off the night, but make sure it looks as good as it tastes. Bryn Williams’ take on the Jaffa cake is a heavenly combination of chocolate and orange, while William Drabble’s Chocolate mousse cake is finished off with beautiful sugar work. If you’re a little unsure of your skills in the kitchen, don’t worry – there are plenty of recipes that are simple to make yet look just as amazing. Karen Burns-Booth makes a decadent cheesecake out of just seven ingredients which doesn’t even need baking, while Victoria Glass whips up a batch of Chocolate and salted caramel cupcakes.

If your partner suffers from a food allergy or intolerance, there are still plenty of dairy-free, gluten-free and sugar-free recipes that celebrate chocolate. Despite omitting both gluten and sugar, Tess Ward’s chocolate supreme cake is a strange sounding but delicious tasting mix of black beans and agave syrup, while these Gluten-free Florentines are glossy, well-tempered and stuck together with honey.