Valentine's Night In Ideas That Beat A Set Menu

Restaurants on 14 February run a set menu, two sittings and a queue for the bill. Plenty of couples would rather stay in and the food is usually better.

A night in still needs a plan though, or it becomes a normal evening with slightly nicer crisps.

Pick one thing to cook, one thing to do and one thing to watch. That's the whole format.

Food that's easy and still feels like an occasion

• Steak and chips - twelve minutes of actual cooking and no dish to share.
• A slow braise started in the afternoon, so the evening is free.
• Fresh pasta with one good sauce and proper bread.
• A sharing board: cheese, charcuterie, olives, pickles, nothing cooked.
• Fondue, which is silly and nearly impossible to do badly.
• Dessert bought, not made. Nobody is grading you.

Things to do that aren't the telly

• A two-player card game with a proper prize on the line.
• A quiz you've each written ten questions for about each other.
• Look through old photos on the big screen instead of a phone.
• Plan next year's holiday properly, with dates and a budget.
• Learn one cocktail each and make them for the other one.

Cheap night in ideas

• £20 between you: one good bottle, one good cheese, one film.
• Breakfast for dinner - it's always better than it should be.
• A walk after dark with a flask, then home for pudding.
• A bath, a book each and an early night with the phones downstairs.
• The takeaway you both actually want, rather than the fancy one.

Setting the room without it looking daft

• Two candles and the big light off is enough.
• A playlist made in advance, not chosen mid-meal.
• Clear the table completely, including the post pile.
• Phones in another room from the moment you sit down.
• Card propped up on the table where they'll see it first.

What to write in the card

• Better than any restaurant, and no queue for the bill.
• A night in with you beats a night out with anyone else.
• Happy Valentine's - same sofa, same you, very happy about both.
• Cooking for you is still my favourite showing off.

Shop Valentine's cards

How to write it so it lands

• Do the shopping on the 12th; the 14th is picked clean by five o'clock.
• Agree the film before you sit down, or you'll spend forty minutes scrolling.
• Put the card out first - everything else is easier once that's done.

Where to shop next

• Cat Valentine's cards
• Last minute birthday gift ideas
• Birthday gifts by budget
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• Valentine's gift ideas
• Valentine's night in ideas
• Black Friday gift shopping tips
• Cyber Monday shopping guide
• Anniversary card messages
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• Birthday cards
• Anniversary cards
• Christmas cards
• Black Friday deals
• Cyber Monday
• Pin badges
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• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What can you do at home for Valentine's Day?

Cook one good dish, play a game or do a quiz about each other, and watch something you've both chosen in advance. Planning the three parts is what stops it feeling like an ordinary evening.

What's the easiest Valentine's meal to cook at home?

Steak and chips or fresh pasta with one good sauce. Both are short, hard to ruin and leave you sitting down together rather than stuck at the hob.

How do you do Valentine's on a budget?

Set £20 between you, spend it on one bottle and one good thing to eat, and put the effort into the plan rather than the price.

Do you still give a card if you're staying in?

Yes - it's the bit that gets kept. Prop it on the table before they sit down.