The most romantic day of the year often involves going out for a special day, usually with a lunch or dinner in the mix somewhere.
Instead, during the lockdown, a number of city centre restaurants have devised Valentine’s Day menus which they will deliver to you. And there are some gift selections below from a couple of our independent gift shops.
But one of the most innovative might be from The Bike Station who are running a Valentine’s campaign where someone who buys a bike from them on Saturday 13th February will win their bike for free. Read more here.
One of Edinburgh’s newest bistros has come to the rescue of romantics by launching “Love In A Box”, ready for Valentine’s Day.
Offering a decadent 4-course menu with the finest Scottish ingredients, The Garden Bistro at Saughton Park have curated a menu which can be prepared and presented to your loved one within 90 minutes – giving you enough time to get dressed up and create a romantic mood.
Beginning with the canapés, you can set the scene with a Stilton, date and walnut chutney puff pastry pillow.
The starter is a decadent twice-baked cheese soufflé, served with an apple and celeriac salad and the main event is a Scottish Beef Wellington, served with potato dauphinoise, Provençale vegetable slice and a port wine jus.
A devilish dessert concludes the meal with a Callebaut chocolate fondant served with macerated strawberries.
The “Love in a Box” package is available to purchase now for £75 (for two people). Customers can upgrade their Box and add a signature bottle of Italian Prosecco for £95 (for two people).
Rose Theatre Café
Email mary@rosetheatrecafe.com for details of their Queen or King for the Day Pack.This menu is all of their favourite things, “properly tasty and a real treat for the day”. Click on the image below to be transported to their Facebook page – and order a whole day of lovely food for you and your loved one.
Independent Wine
Oleg Dmitriev of Independent Wine has a corker of an offer. He said: “Delight your love this Valentine’s Day with a romantic gift set, featuring a bottle of UK-exclusive Italian wine and a box of Iain Burnett’s world famous Velvet Truffles.”
Known as the Highland Chocolatier, Iain Burnett is a world-class chocolate artisan based in Pitlochry. Independent Wine is one of the UK’s leading specialists in premium Italian wine.
Working together, they selected some of Italy’s best wines to pair with fruity and spicy truffles to create a match made in heaven. They created three gift sets with award-winning wines boasting with flavours of fresh fruits and spices: Ridolfi Rosso di Montalcino DOC, Kurtatsch Gewurztraminer Riserva, and Kurtatsch Mazon Pinot Noir.
For each gift-set, Iain has created special pairings in order to accentuate the different textures and flavours which often go unnoticed in the wines.
The romantic gift sets can be ordered online from www.independent.wine for safe delivery to loved ones anywhere in Mainland UK.
Six by Nico wants to wine and dine you while you Netflix and chill at home. Chef Nico Simeone is on hand to help avoid lockdowns becoming a buzzkill for your relationship. This is a limited edition menu that will bring back some feeling of normality to date-nights this month.
Available nationwide to pre-order priced at £80 from HOME-X with delivery available on Friday 12 or Saturday 13 February.
Starter: Lobster & Prawn Tortellini; confit garlic & garlic and chilli butter
Main: Aged Fillet of Beef; peppercorn sauce, brandy, smoked salt blend
Sides: Four Cheese Mac’n’Cheese; smoked pancetta, breadcrumbs, aged cheddar Potato Lyonnaise; new season potatoes, caramelised onions, chives Broccoli & Blue Cheese Gratin; purple sprouting broccoli, oxford blue, toasted almonds Dessert: Raspberry Trifle; prosecco, vanilla, creme Fraiche Wine: Bodegas Alceno Barinas Tempranillo – Red (Jumilla, Spain)
home-x.com/products/home-by-nico-valentines-edition
Hawksmoor has an At Home Valentine’s Box for £135, or £85 for food only, available from 4 to 13 February.
The box includes 1 Large 35-day Dry-aged Bone-in Prime Rib, Matt Brown’s Ultimate oven chips, Purple sprouting broccoli and Gentleman’s Relish, Peppercorn sauce, Large sticky toffee pudding for two with clotted cream, Maldon Sea Salt, Sour Cherry Negroni for 2 and Palmer & Co Brut Reserve Champagne.
Oleg Dmitriev, from Independent Wine, has Valentine’s Day has corker of an offer. He said: “Delight your love this Valentine’s Day with a romantic gift set, featuring a bottle of UK-exclusive Italian wine and a box of Iain Burnett’s world famous Velvet Truffles.”
Known as the Highland Chocolatier, Iain Burnett is a world-class chocolate artisan based in Pitlochry, while Independent Wine is one of the UK’s leading specialists in premium Italian wine.
Working together, they selected some of Italy’s best wines to pair with fruity and spicy truffles to create a match made in heaven. They have created three gift sets with award-winning wines bursting with flavours of fresh fruits and spices: Ridolfi Rosso di Montalcino DOC, Kurtatsch Gewurztraminer Riserva, and Kurtatsch Mazon Pinot Noir.
For each gift-set, Iain has created special pairings in order to accentuate the different textures and flavours which often go unnoticed in the wines.
The romantic gift sets can be ordered online from www.independent.wine for safe delivery to loved ones anywhere in mainland UK.
GIFTS
At Paper Tiger they have gone big on everything online, but they are especially feeling the love this Valentine’s Day. For last minute requests, they can also deliver your orders by bike.
Paper Tiger managing director, Michael Apter, made suggestions for the perfect gift depending on your connections to different areas of Edinburgh. Each range includes chocolate, candles, cards, tea towels and prints.
Heart Of Midlothian Collection
The Heart Of Midlothian means different things to many different people. It’s the stone heart located beside Saint Giles’ Cathedral on the Royal Mile, or perhaps it’s the novel of the same name by Scots Romanticist author Sir Walter Scott, immortalised in stone at the Scott Monument on Princes Street. The Heart Of Midlothian is a football Club. And the Heart Of Midlothian is a state of mind.
Leith Collection
Leith is not in Edinburgh. Leith is Leith. Almost 1000 years of history separate the port that serves the city, from the city that it serves – a boundary formerly marked by the pub The Boundary Bar, and fiercely defended by Leith natives!
Paper Tiger stocks a wide range of Valentine Cards so that you do not have to miss out on expressing your true feelings for someone in your love bubble this year.
The Bay Tree Company
Nikki Halliday of The Bay Tree Company in Bruntsfield would love you to send some of her fabulous cards to make Valentine’s even more special this year.
Send some lovin’ using her online shop supporting all the independent artists that Nikki stocks. Why not send some chocolate, a gift, a notebook or a beautiful candle wrapped lovingly and delivered free locally?
Let’s support our independent stores and spread some love.
thebaytreecompany.com/all-valentines
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
