Be mine valentine

Love has certainly been in the air this weekend and I hope that everyone else has enjoyed this mushy, Hallmark-card holiday as much as I have. It was mine and Ollie's first Valentine's together last year so we went out for a date night and at the time, I said (and wrote in my blog post): I mostly think restaurants are overpriced on Valentine's day and we'll probably stay in and do something cute for future ones. WELL. I never thought that our next Valentine's together would be our 28449293th at-home date night in a row! But we move. And I wasn't wrong: we certainly found some cute ways to celebrate. Starting with my gift for Ollie which was a giant iced Millie's cookie. I was initially excited at the prospect of sending him something at work and embarrassing him but then Valentine's fell on a Sunday so I had to settle for us enjoying it at home (a day early) with giant cups of tea to boot.

I saw most people decided to celebrate on the Saturday but we'd planned to do it on February 14th, but we did have a cheeky little extra date night on the Saturday night as well (because why not). Me and Ollie are both obsessed with Mexican food and when we learned that my mum and dad's new house is in the radius for a new one, we decided to get it sent there and then simply grab it from the doorstep. A plan that could've easily gone wrong but actually worked out perfectly! The food from FreshMex was absolutely incredible and we'll definitely be putting in a repeat order. It wouldn't be a complete Mexican feast without tequila so we had tequila and cranberry cocktails to go with it.

And by then, I'd caught the cocktail bug! So we made the most of my bar by mixing up some treats, including a jaffa cake martini (using very exciting shimmering gin), a pomegranate and amaretto mix, a tropical concoction (that I put too much peach schnapps in) and a dreamy elderflower and apple gin special. It may not be the same, but it certainly helped me miss bars a little less!

Growing up with my parents being very much in love, I saw every year how my dad would shower my mum with gifts and flowers for Valentine's day and yet she would only ever get him a card in return. Whenever I'd ask why she doesn't get him anything, she would say it's because he has her. A feminist philosophy that I'm very much a fan of. And following in my wise mum's footsteps, I got way more than I gave (because obviously, I am Ollie's true gift). Ollie absolutely spoilt me with the most beautiful bunch of flowers I've ever seen (I don't like red roses on their own and he knows just my taste), a happy valentine's day balloon (because he knows I love them), a light-up loveheart confetti candle (which I literally nearly bought for myself last week) and some heart-shaped bath bombs (which smell divine). And when I thought the presents were over, he wrote in my card (another great pick) that I had one more present, which was that he'll be treating us to a meal at Sat Bains when it's open again! I'm so excited because I've always wanted to go but always dismiss it based on price. But since it's one of the best restaurants in the world and it's right on our doorstep, I'm so excited to finally try it. I've always thought that Valentine's day should be more about romance than it should about material stuff (flowers and gestures over jewellery or handbags), and Ollie couldn't have hit the romantic nail on the head any better if he tried. Major boyfriend points right there.

Hands up who else enjoyed one of these Valentine's dine-in meals this weekend! And because it was Valentine's, we didn't go with just a dine-in deal. Obviously it had to be M&S. And I was really impressed with their range of options and how much choice there was (I do my weekly shop in Morrison's and they didn't have nearly as many). I eventually went with duck croquettes to start, herb-crusted rack of lamb and potato dauphinoise for main and then profiteroles and love bug chocolates to finish. Naturally we had lots of fizz to go with it and all of the food was really nice. I tried to choose things I wouldn't normally cook so it felt more special (and that it did). We had the loveliest candle-lit time and I'm now bursting with love (and treats). Whether we're exploring the world or trapped at home, there's no one I'd rather do life with than my Valentine.