Whatever your reason – your favourite restaurant is fully booked, you don’t find being with scores of other couples conducive to intimacy, or you can’t think of anything your loved one would appreciate more – cooking a feast of favourites at home can be the ultimate romantic gesture. We’ve curated some special menus for dining à deux, from breakfast in bed and gourmet picnics to healthy dinners, lavish classics or even afternoon tea for two.

Breakfast in bed
Let your loved one lie in and brew them a pot of top-quality tea before serving up this decadent spread – with plenty of napkins.
– Try these beautiful baked eggs with asparagus, bacon, cherry tomatoes and spinach, all whipped up in one pan.
– Home-made muesli is a more unusual start to the day, with raspberries, coconut and pistachios.
– French toast with brie and boozy vanilla bean and berry compote can be especially romantic if you cut the slices diagonally and flip one half around to form a heart shape.
– These strawberry smoothies made from the plump seasonal berries and soy milk make a perfectly pink treat without the guilt.

Romance in a flash
Short of time? Whip up a gourmet meal in fifteen minutes with this speedy menu.
– Avo ritz is an-old school classic that always impresses, and no cooking is required.  
– Jamie Oliver’s chorizo carbonara with rosemary and chilli pairs particularly well with a zesty Catalan market salad (extract from Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals).
– Affogato, which is basically ice cream with a shot of coffee, is a fabulous quick-fire dessert.

Vegetarian feast
Meat-free meals don’t have to be flavour-free. Try this decadent menu for the non-carnivorous one in your life. 
– Ariana Bundy’s cold cucumber soup perfectly balances warm walnuts with cool cucumber and yoghurt.
– You could pair this with a Moroccan salad of raw carrots, beetroots and dates, which makes a tangy, chewy and fragrant side dish; or try this irresistible upside-down caramelised shallot and camembert tart.
– For mains, go for Antonio Carluccio’s delicate mushroom risotto.
– Round it all off with a luxurious chocolate and marmalade tart. This recipe serves eight, but you can save the rest for a midnight feast.

The healthy option
Forget chocolate: sometimes light, zesty food is the best aphrodisiac.
– Grilled cling peach and pea salad is tangy and sensual.
– Follow the grilling theme with seared salmon with citrus glaze, mashed sweet potato and spring vegetables.
– And for dessert, try this cheat’s crème brulee with raspberry caps; lick a seasonal litchi, vanilla bean and yoghurt ice pop; or have a scoop of raspberry and rose sorbet.

The classic seduction
Has anyone ever turned down steak and chocolate mousse? (Well, not together. Hang on… we might be onto something.)
– A great Caesar salad relies on top quality mustard, olive oil, eggs, bacon, and parmesan cheese. You can make the croutons ahead of time. 
– Follow that with a classic beef fillet with wild mushrooms and red wine butter sauce or the full-on flavour of sirloin with gorgonzola and bacon sauce, and avocado salad.
– Finally, impress with chocolate mousse with macerated strawberries or chocolate fondant with a slight twist of lime.

The perfect picnic
If the weather’s playing along and you have a secluded spot, a soft breeze and some warm sunshine, a picnic could be the most romantic setting of all.
– These Maldon salt and caramel popcorn kernels are a fun gourmet snack for starters.
– Next, a quirky salad-in-a-jar will make an impact along with spinach, sweet pepper and feta phyllo tart.
– Passion fruit and yoghurt syrup cakes can be paired with fresh strawberries with chocolate dip for sharing.
– Wash it all down with some blushing muscadel sangria.

Sundowners and tapas 
A more quick slick date calls for fresh drinks and elegant snacks.
– Coucher de Soleil – the Clifton sunset cocktail – will cool you off with seasonal berries, cranberry juice and basil. 
– Quick puff pastry pizza is a smart cheat thanks to store-bought pastry.
– Next, go for stylish ginger and prawn rice paper rolls or grilled rye crostini with roasted peppers, broad beans and ricotta.
– Finish it off with these lavish cognac truffles that you will need to roll ahead of time (and refrain from eating all by yourself). 

Tea for two
If you don’t have the time or inclination for a languorous meal on Valentine’s Day, you could always serve an old-fashioned high tea with pretty treats. (If you’re having a single celebration, your best friend or mom would love this, too.)
– These fancy savoury dill scones with smoked salmon and cucumber relish add a nice touch to an otherwise sweet spread.
– Macaroon tartlets with golden crusts of coconut are filled with mascarpone cheese and the berries of your choice. 
– Who says jelly is only for kids? Not these grown-up mango, jelly and vodka quarters, that’s for sure. 
– Cramming all the expected extravagance into no time at all, this six-minute chocolate cake is a teatime must.

By Linda Scarborough and Katharine Jacobs