Whether you’re single or not, I know we all LOVE to rag on Valentine’s Day. We feel silly celebrating it, which, to me, is so weird. I feel like it reflects poorly on who we’ve become as a society – being in love and celebrating it has become cringe. The issue people often take with Valentine’s Day is how commercialised it is – a Hallmark holiday where the objective is to buy, buy, buy. This is not all it has to be. You and your loved one can create your own traditions that don’t involve matching red outfits or a regular dinner date. You can establish traditions that work for you that won’t mean dropping a few hundred bucks for the sake of so-called romance.

I invite you to be unashamedly besotted with your special somebody and celebrate with intention this year. I have a bunch of things I would recommend.

1. Set a scene

It doesn’t matter what your home set-up is, you can turn it into a utopia of romance with a few small shifts. I’ve made it quite clear that I’ll picnic anywhere. Have an indoor picnic and make it a little over the top. Position an obscene number of candles around the lounge – on the TV stand, the coffee table, on the floor in corners where you know you won’t accidentally knock them over. Light them, turn off that big light and watch the space transform. I don’t really recommend rose petals. They’re kinda overdone, but as a certified flower girlie, I do love to scatter bougainvillea flowers near the candles. They’re just so pretty. A couple of small vases of little flower arrangements can also be quite special. Push the couch and coffee table out of the way and lay down a comfortable blanket. If you’re having bubbly, chill it in a nice ice bucket if you have one, and then have another drink on hand. Woolworths’ cherry daiquiri concentrate is really delicious. Try it and top with sparkling water and some flowers and fruit. You don’t have to drink to have fun, but I get that it does amplify the good times... try this rose Champagne float, it’s brilliant and I’ve made my own rendition a fair amount.

2. Stock up on treats

I’m a simple girl. I feel spoilt when my partner brings home a random treat, just for me. It makes me feel special, like she’s thought of me while she was away and wanted to make my day a little sweeter. I urge you to get the heart-shaped chocolates and the cheesy cupcakes and favours; they’re always delicious and this is the one day that candy is an appropriate prelude to a meal. You can also just snuggle and eat them in bed with tea afterwards.

3. Cook something incredible (and easy)

You don’t want to spend all the time you could be spending cosying up to your person breaking a sweat in the kitchen. I usually like a long recipe, but here, you need to reserve your energy to be a present lover! I have a few super-tasty recipes that will make a great impression on the love of your life and won’t require much of your time. It’s also wise to make things ahead of time, like this Persian love cake, which is perfect with a glass of bubbles.

There’s something romantic about pasta, I can’t explain that but it’s just such a simple, special thing to eat. I made my version of the Woolies pasta salad with the pink sauce for Zaza and I.

PINK PASTA WITH SMOKED TROUT, AVOCADO AND CAVIAR

Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add 300 g rigatoni and boil for 10–12 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and toss in olive oil, then set aside. In a separate bowl, mix ¾ cup mayonnaise and ¼ cup tomato sauce until fully combined. Place the rigatoni in a serving bowl and pour over the pink sauce. Break 250 g dill-smoked trout into bite-sized chunks and scoop 2 avocados out of their skins and add to the pasta. Stir until coated in the sauce. Top with 1 T Woolworths trout caviar and a handful of petite greens. Eat before sand blows on it! Serves 4.

My partner loves a hotdog, and there’s something weirdly romantic about eating something casual and a little messy with your hands. Zaza was obsessed with these: wrap 4 Woolies smoked cheese-and-jalapeño grillers in a rasher of streaky bacon and cook in the air-fryer at 200°C for 10 minutes. Stuff them into buttered milk buns and squeeze some mustard on top. You’ll want to make extra. Have this with a brandy and Coke!

 

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If you’re a shellfish kinda guy, you’ll need to make these jalapeño atchar prawns – they’re fantastic as is, but you can have them with a fresh salad, like this festive acid one by Sam Woulidge. This meal is asking for a chilled, off-dry Riesling.

4. Stay up late

Do not bother with the time. Sleep when you’re dead! Make a playlist in advance and name it something funny – after an inside joke you both enjoy – and include a mix of songs your significant other loves, and songs they’ve never heard that you know they’ll love. Make it your background music while you eat. DO NOT WATCH TV! If you can help it, eliminate distractions that will keep you from focusing on one another. Maybe after dinner, you can watch something funny and light, or Valentine’s Day episodes of your favourite show, but for the love of all things romantic and sexy and cute, do not watch while you eat. Here are some Valentine’s Day episodes of some of the shows that really get me rolling on the floor in laughter:

The Office: “Valentine’s Day”

Parks and Recreation: “Galentine’s Day”

Friends: “The One With The Candy Hearts”

Family Guy: “Valentine’s Day in Quahog”

Abbot Elementary: Valentine's Day

5. Don’t be so serious

If you’re spending the day apart and only seeing each other later, keep chatting throughout the day. Send each other memes or do whatever fits the way you usually love one another. Fill the day with small surprises: go on a museum date during your lunch break, send a Dash with all their favourite snacks, buy something small and meaningful and arrange to have it placed on their desk. A good one is to write a letter (not on a computer, people) telling them about all the things that make them so lovely.  After supper, if you have a lawn, go and lie down and stargaze for a bit, or take a drive, or read something from your favourite book to each other. Love is a serious thing, I know, but this is a day of letting loose and being the best lover you can be and continuing to be that exact thing until the end of time.

 

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