Valentine's 'date bait' Jill Dupleix It’s Valentine's Day evening, and you and your loved one are doing something even more special than going out to celebrate - you're staying in, with our special menu for lovers.

In this article

The game plan

What to drink

The recipes

The perfect Valentine's Day dinner would be full of sensuously rich, seriously expensive gourmet foods cooked especially for you by the finest master chef in Paris, with a view of the Eiffel Tower in front of you, and live music by your favourite band in the background. But let's face it - the closest the majority of us will get to that experience is by watching Pretty Woman.

Nevertheless, it's more than worth doing something that little bit special, and I don't mean all that aphrodisiac malarkey. Besides, not everyone likes cold oysters; asparagus is out of season; truffles are unaffordable - and what is Spanish fly anyway? The real food of love, you'll be pleased to hear, is the food you love. If you serve exactly what you feel like eating, then at least one of you is going to adore it. And if you're happy, they’re happy, right?

So, make the food you want to eat, and the food you can cook without needing six recipe books, sugar thermometers and two apprentices by your side. This is no time to start experimenting with Alain Ducasse's pigeonneau laqué avec navets nouveaux aigre-doux.

What you want is date bait - food that looks and tastes seductive, but is easy to put together beforehand or on the spot. Just focus on two or three small, simple dishes that have something special about them, and if you think that's too hard, then buy in a favourite cake or pastry for pud.

Taking my own advice, this special menu involves three of my favourite foods: goats' cheese, salmon and chocolate. The goats' cheese is marinated in spices and walnut oil for a few hours, taking on a wonderfully aromatic complexity. The soft, velvety, rich salmon in a light, lime-scented broth is a real treat, and it's so easy you will still be capable of cooking it on the spot after two glasses of champagne.

To finish, it must be chocolate (it all comes back to chocolate in the end), in the form of a silky, creamy, rich chocolate mousse. And just in case you are feeling too relaxed by now, there's a touch of Mexican chilli in there to wake up your taste buds and anything else that may have gone to sleep. Rushing around red-faced trying to get everything done isn't terribly romantic, so if you'd like, you can do the starter and pudding the day before.

Wine is the cupid of the meal, bringing the two of you together in a toast to romance. Start with champagne, of course, because more than any other wine, it sharpens the senses and intensifies romance.

With the salmon, you can go either way: a crisp Sancerre would lift the richness and play off the heat, yet it’s rich enough to warrant the lush fruit of a New World Pinot Noir. In other words, have exactly what you feel like drinking, which will make you both happier and more relaxed than sampling anything anyone tells you that you should be having.

So you have the wine, the music, the candlelight, a few of your favourite things to eat... and most importantly, someone to eat them with. Who needs Paris?

• Goats' cheese with green beans and walnuts
• Salmon in a light, fragrant broth
• Chocolate cashew mousse