True love is… giving the best Valentine’s food gifts
Just wait: you agree not to give each other anything for Valentine’s Day, you stick to it, and then the other person shows up with a gift anyway. As the scouts say: be prepared! Write Sunday, February 14, in big letters in your calendar and stock up on something delicious. Here are some suggestions:
Basket of goodies
On the Ottolenghi webshop you can order packages filled with goodies, completely in his distinctive style. Which foodie wouldn’t be happy with this? Exactly! Shipping costs are not included, and they’re far from cheap. But hey: it’s Ottolenghi.
Edible bouquet—with beer
The people at Lowlander brewery also know that the way to the heart is through the stomach. That’s why they couldn’t resist creating a very special (edible!) Valentine’s bouquet. Yes, you read that right: Lowlander’s Botanical Bouquet is meant to be eaten. Literally and figuratively, because this bouquet is packed with fresh seasonal vegetables and flavorful herbs to cook a dinner for two. In no time, you can transform your beautiful bunch of ‘flowers’ into a delicious Valentine’s salad of roasted vegetables. All while enjoying a Lowlander beer with your loved one. And don’t worry, there will still be enough flowers left to decorate the table. Two romantic gestures in one, then. The Botanical Bouquet costs €59.50 including shipping and can be ordered here until February 8, 2021.
For the chocoholic
Tony Chocolonely releases the most unusual and special flavors every year, in categories ranging from pretzel-toffee to chili-fudge-pink pepper. Is your objet d’amour a chocolate lover, but are those flavor combinations a little too much? Then it might be more fun to create a bar yourself online and design a wrapper.
Get cheesy!
Don’t leave it to chance—say it with cheese! A little cheese like this will probably last less long than a bouquet of flowers, but it’s likely to make a much bigger impression. According to legend, this shape originated when the female cheesemakers fell in love with the English soldiers stationed in wet Normandy during the Hundred Years’ War. This creamy white-rind cheese is a feast for both the eyes and the palate, and is available from, among others, Bourgondisch Lifestyle and Lindenhoff.
I love you like pizza
True love is… having a quattro formaggi pizza delivered and eating it together on the couch. And if that pizza also happens to be heart-shaped, the romance will never end. That’s why, from February 8 through 14, Toni Loco transforms its heavenly, traditional pizzas into love pizzas. There’s a choice of countless toppings and flavors, so you can be sure your loved one’s favorite pizza is among them. Surprise them with the most romantic pizza they’ve ever seen. Toni Loco’s heart-shaped pizza is easy to order via Uber Eats or can be picked up at Toni Loco. If you live somewhere else, you’ll have to get baking yourself.
Hopelessly romantic
Slurping from the same strand of spaghetti until your mouths meet; it doesn’t get more romantic than that! At the delicious Italian restaurant Frizzanteria, you can order a special Valentine’s dinner—Menu San Valentino—to experience this for yourself. The four-course dinner, including a bottle of N.6 Rosé Spumante, costs 85 euros for two people and can be ordered here on February 12, 13, and 14. Availability is limited. To make sure you get a meal of love, you can also call: 0640201832.
Good enough to eat
You write his name endlessly, then your name, then his name again, and your name. Hearts, hearts, hearts, sigh… M&M’s feels your pain: they print M&M’s with your names and photos and deliver them to your secret lover’s home. It’s not subtle, but it’s definitely delicious.
Fries for your thoroughbred
For the man (or woman) who already has everything: cycling socks with a little packet of fries. Because love is beautiful, sure, but cycling is great too—and fries after a second-category climb will certainly hit the spot.
Pickle bomb
Roses? No, too cliché. We recommend a bunch of chicken nuggets, or, even more festive: a bouquet of pickles. Could she actually be pregnant after all?
Ma chère little macaron
Madame Bovary was French. Joséphine was French. And Brigitte Bardot, also French. Perhaps romance is actually French. Murmur a few sweet French words into your amant’s ear and feed them small bites of these macarons, which you can order from Patisserie Tout in Amsterdam and have delivered to your home, and enfin: amour toujours.
Love for the dentist
Twelve types of fudge in all kinds of surprising flavors—red velvet, unicorn, butterscotch, or Oreo—make a tasty little gift to have delivered to your date. If love doesn’t work out, you can polish off that box from Jack Fudge by yourself—just book the dentist for next week while you’re at it.
Beer tasting
Delicious: enjoying a beer tasting together. In the online hop shop of Scheldebrouwerij you’ll find special beer boxes for every thirst. You know your Valentine best, so this task will be a piece of cake. Choose a box of blond or dark beers, a sunny box, or a hoppy one. Or go all the way and treat them to a tasting across the entire range. Tip: whatever you do, don’t skip the Oesterstout (8.5%), a stout with wonderful notes of fruit and caramel. This special beer is the perfect match for cheese, dark chocolate, and—fiew fiewww—oysters. This is how you score points!
Dinner for two
Dive into the kitchen together and put a delicious four-course ‘Sjansz.’ dinner on the table. The menu includes salmon with bimi, lobster bisque risotto with brill and tomato, duck breast with truffle potato, and a Sjansz. dessert with lemon tart and white chocolate. Includes swoon-worthy songs from the Jansz. Spotify playlist. It won’t break the bank either, because let’s be honest: 45 euros per person is nothing for this much romance and deliciousness in one. (There’s also a vegan menu available. Order it here.)
Couldn’t care less
Not everyone is equally romantic, with pink bows, glitter, and hand-holding. Some people are more practical, get-things-done types, even when it comes to relationships. And such people might prefer a gift from the category: do it yourself. A kit for making your own kombucha, for example, with a starter culture. The gift that keeps on giving, because if you take good care of the starter culture, it can last you a lifetime. True love.
Exciting cocktails
Did you know that 50 million roses are given worldwide every year on Valentine’s Day? As sweet as that is, a rose alone isn’t the most original gift. Roses and cocktails, on the other hand, sound a lot more interesting, don’t they? With the Roses & Romance cocktail box from Pulitzer’s Bar, you bring all the ingredients for a romantic evening into your home. The cocktail box contains a Hibiscus Spritz, with Martini Fiero and Rose Vermouth, and a Peach Fizz, with Ketel One Botanical and Lillet Blanc, plus two London Essence sodas to mix with the cocktails. Good for 4 cocktails. No date night is complete without snacks, so the box also includes those essential macarons. Order via Pulitzer’s Bar Shopify for €45.
Caries in the shape of hearts
Dunkin’ isn’t being left behind this Valentine’s Day either: they have a wide range of heart-shaped donuts that you can pick up in boxes of 6 or 12 at one of their stores. Still not sure whether he/she loves you (or donuts)? You can also have just one wrapped, for only 2.25 euros.
Italian style
Venetian signature dishes and other little dishes to share—romantic! They come from the kitchen of the wonderful Italian restaurant TOZI. For 90 euros (per couple), surprise your loved one, Italian style, with a 5-course Valentine’s menu. Small but pure dishes to share, such as sea bass, lobster, and a romantic strawberry and meringue finale, are prepared by chef Luca with lots of love and passion. Want to upgrade your box with a bottle of champagne? Then order the TOZI Deluxe Valentine’s Box for 130 euros. Everyone who orders a TOZI Box in February also receives a TOZI Spotify playlist to complete the special TOZI experience, and the little ones haven’t been forgotten either. As an extra treat for the children, there is TOZINI Tomato Pasta. And TOZI is highly recommended, trust us! You can order the TOZI Box here.
Because chocolate is for wimps
If your sweetheart doesn’t swoon at your loving gaze and soft words, this might be a perfectly good gift: a heart-shaped box of mini bottles of Fireball. At 33 percent alcohol and with a spicy cinnamon kick, it could even knock a hippo flat. You’ll have to make your way to Vlamis Liquors, a liquor store in Maryland, USA. Love can be hopelessly complicated sometimes. Good luck!
