I admit it - I am a bit of a sucker for Valentines Day. I want it all. Hearts, flowers, chocolate and a romantic meal for two. Even if I have to cook it, its a nice change from our usual rowdy family dinners.
Yes you can be all cynical and say it's all about commercialism, retail and money, but when you are married to a man like my husband whose idea of showing he loves you by buying you plastic roses from a garage with fake water droplets (true story!) then you will take any excuse for some heavily encouraged romance.
It won't come as a huge shock to regular readers that the food aspect of Valentine's Day is probably of the most interest to me. You can keep your roses and I'll even forgive the lack of a card but I feel entitled to some form of indulgent food on February 14th.
For instance one ex not only forgot to sort out an appropriate Valentine's meal but once confronted, suggested a nice last minute curry with his mates as an alternative. His days were numbered.To be fair another ex took me for a lovely meal in a secluded romantic hotel - I found out later that was so his other female companions didn't spot him out with me. To this day I have no idea how many other Valentine dinners he ate that day.....Ratbag.
When I was newly married we did the whole shebang- Italian or French restaurant, overpriced flowers etc. But the restaurants were overcrowded, the meals mediocre for the money and the wine can't flow if one of you has to drive home.
As we approach our silver wedding anniversary we still celebrate but since I don't really want to be lumbered with hours of cooking, we have become huge fans of the meals supermarkets offer with main, sides, dessert and wine all included for a frankly bargain price.
Take Asda's 2016 offerings for instance. We chose Asda's Extra Special Gressingham Duck a L'Orange, teamed it with luxurious crushed carrot, sweet potato and butternut squash and then I added roasted potatoes (cooked in the fat poured off halfway through cooking the duck legs) and served the legs atop buttered savoy cabbage which soaked up the tangy orange and herb sauce.
This is not a ready meal - this is restaurant quality food made convenient for easy home cooking.
There were lots of choices too. I could have picked Asda's Extra Special Creamy Dauphinoise Potatoes to go with the duck, or gone for the Extra Special Butternut Squash and Goat's Cheese Lasagne if I wanted an Italian feel to the night. The deal includes an Extra Special Baby Spinach, Rocket and Red Chard salad which would go very nicely with that. So simple to prepare too even my husband could do it!
Fancy something hearty? (pun intended!) You might enjoy Asda's Extra Special West Country Beef in a Chianti and Tomato sauce- chunks of British beef slow cooked in a rich sauce which would pair beautifully with Extra Special Sunblush Cherry Tomato and Provolone Cheese Flatbread.
Champagne is always a good choice on Valentine's so you could serve Asda's Extra Special Champagne and Mushroom chicken - succulent chicken in a creamy sauce which would make the perfect match with Asda's Extra Special creamy Maris Piper Mashed Potato.
Yes you can be all cynical and say it's all about commercialism, retail and money, but when you are married to a man like my husband whose idea of showing he loves you by buying you plastic roses from a garage with fake water droplets (true story!) then you will take any excuse for some heavily encouraged romance.
It won't come as a huge shock to regular readers that the food aspect of Valentine's Day is probably of the most interest to me. You can keep your roses and I'll even forgive the lack of a card but I feel entitled to some form of indulgent food on February 14th.
When I was newly married we did the whole shebang- Italian or French restaurant, overpriced flowers etc. But the restaurants were overcrowded, the meals mediocre for the money and the wine can't flow if one of you has to drive home.
As we approach our silver wedding anniversary we still celebrate but since I don't really want to be lumbered with hours of cooking, we have become huge fans of the meals supermarkets offer with main, sides, dessert and wine all included for a frankly bargain price.
This is not a ready meal - this is restaurant quality food made convenient for easy home cooking.
There were lots of choices too. I could have picked Asda's Extra Special Creamy Dauphinoise Potatoes to go with the duck, or gone for the Extra Special Butternut Squash and Goat's Cheese Lasagne if I wanted an Italian feel to the night. The deal includes an Extra Special Baby Spinach, Rocket and Red Chard salad which would go very nicely with that. So simple to prepare too even my husband could do it!Fancy something hearty? (pun intended!) You might enjoy Asda's Extra Special West Country Beef in a Chianti and Tomato sauce- chunks of British beef slow cooked in a rich sauce which would pair beautifully with Extra Special Sunblush Cherry Tomato and Provolone Cheese Flatbread.
Champagne is always a good choice on Valentine's so you could serve Asda's Extra Special Champagne and Mushroom chicken - succulent chicken in a creamy sauce which would make the perfect match with Asda's Extra Special creamy Maris Piper Mashed Potato.
And remember to ‘leave the best ‘til last’ with Asda’s Extra Special range of decadent Valentine’s Day desserts. Tuck into some luxury indulgence with Belgium Chocolate and Sea Salted Profiteroles, Sicilian Lemon and Passion Fruit Mousse, Sicilian Lemon Cheesecake and Belgium Chocolate Tarts to end your evening on a sweet note.
We tried the lemon cheesecakes - they looked beautiful on the plate and tasted tangy and delicious too.
You get a great choice of wine with the deal - we shared a bottle of Asda's Extra Special Malbec but we could have chosen a full-bodied Asda Extra Special Shiraz or a light Sauvignon Blanc or classic Pinot Grigio.
And now - drum roll please - the price of this amazing deal providing a romantic feast for two?
£10!
Yes - just ten of your shiny pound coins will give you a main, side, dessert AND a top quality bottle of wine. You can't buy a meal for two from the local takeaway and a bottle of plonk for that!
The deal is available from Asda stores nationwide along with a wide range of Valentine cards, gifts and edible treats - stock varies store to store.
Oh and by the way - the extra veg I served with our meal - all taken from Asda's new bargain £3.50 Wonky Veg and Salad Box- more on that to follow!
Disclaimer: I was provided with one main, side, dessert and a bottle of wine as per the £10 deal, free for the purposes of this review.Views and opinions remain honest and my own.
