The shops are full of cards, balloons, red roses, bears…all trying to get us in the romantic mood as its almost here again, yes it’s Valentine’s day! Before we get onto ideas of where to go and what to buy lets take a look at the story behind this, what some feel has become an over commercialised day:
“Saint Valentine’s Day is an annual holiday held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The holiday is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as “valentines”). The holiday first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished” (Wikipedia definition)
The most popular Valentine’s idea and the one I tend to go for is going out for a meal so let us take a look at some ideas:
The Ewe and Lamb
Hanbury Rd, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B60 4DN.
Tel: 01527 871929
eweandlambbromsgrove.com
Recently refurnished, The Ewe and Lamb has a modern but welcoming and relaxed atmosphere. It’s a perfect setting for a romantic Valentine’s meal or even just a drink. Food is prepared using fresh, local ingredients. The restaurant describes itself as offering “a wide variety of the finest in modern British cuisine with Mediterranean influences”. The menu offers a good selection of restaurant style food including fish dishes, char-grills and a selection of real ales and fine wines to accompany them.
For Valentine’s it is best to book early, as I found out last year when my boyfriend tried to book us in a few days before and we had to be put on a waiting list which we didn’t get to the top of! I was of course not very happy about this! However, it does of course speak highly for the place and the food!
Sophie, a friend of mine did manage to get in for Valentine’s night and enjoyed a 3 course meal of duck and orange pate followed by sirloin steak with cherry tomatoes and wild mushrooms and chunky chips and eton mess to finish. Another main meal she was tempted by was the wild bacon risotto with bacon and peas. A three course meal that night was £27.50. She says:
“We only just managed to get a table on valentines night so it’s definitely best to book early, the meal was absolutely lovely, I loved the pate and the steak was cooked to perfection. The surroundings were nice and romantic, we had a great night!”
McKees Restaurant
8 Marble Alley, Studley, Warwickshire, B80 7LD.
01527 853964
From the outside this restaurant doesn’t look like much but inside its lovely and one of my favourite restaurants. There is no big open plan room with rows of tables, they are in different areas giving a cosy feel and offering more privacy, there are small rooms for larger parties, not cut off by a door but just in different parts. The restaurant is beautifully decorated with pictures on all of the walls, ornaments, attractive lighting and so on. We recently went for a big family meal to celebrate my brother’s birthday and we were given a table in an area to ourselves and were able to go up earlier in the day and decorate with balloons and banners to make it special. This was all okay by the restaurant so that was nice.
I particularly like it because the menu changes completely every month, you just have to phone up and they will send you the menu for that month. The menu is a 3 course meal and is always complemented by dough balls and dip before our starter and coffee and petit fours to finish. Main meals that I have enjoyed include chicken with bacon and stilton and a lovely steak. Everything is beautifully presented in a modern style and you are given bowls of vegetables and potatoes to help yourself to as much as you would like. The food is of an extremely high standard, as I said a modern style but with better portions!
This is a nice place to go on a special occasion, birthdays and of course valentines day, the relaxed and romantic ambiance together with excellent food and service makes it a perfect choice. There is no website but phone up and get a menu sent, you won’t be disappointed!
Other Valentine’s day ideas:
Besides from going out for a meal, there are other ideas to consider. Staying in and cooking a romantic meal is always a nice thing to do. It is also a cheaper option as many restaurants are so much more expensive than normal on this night and can be a more relaxed choice and you can use it as an excuse to stock up on all your favourite foods!
The cinema could be good and you can search online for the latest film releases. There are always films out especially for Valentine’s if that’s what you want but be sure to pre-book as these are bound to get busy.
Why not make Valentine’s day into a Valentine’s weekend and treat yourselves to a weekend away. Ideas could be city breaks, perhaps taking in a show, booking a cottage in the country to really get away from it all or a spa break. These options are obviously more expensive so that does need to be factored into your choice.
