The Ultimate V-Day Dinner

Paula from The LDN Diaries shares a couple of ideas based on home comforts as, let's recognise it, we’ve all turned to the trusty web to inspire creating a seductive atmosphere or cooking a swanky meal with aphrodisiac ingredients, but it can all be intimidating — not to mention cheesy! So we are going to the basics, some chocolate and a bottle of bubbly are things that can't go wrong.

Paula suggests "starting with mac and cheese bites, crispy breadcrumb covered bites filled with mac and cheese. Then for main I would choose toad in the hole, it’s such a home comfort dish with sausages and batter mix. Lastly for dessert I’d make a batch of fried Oreos. Not many people have tried them, but when they do they always love them!"

Fried Oreo Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup of Plain Flour
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 egg
• 1 pack of Oreos
• Icing Sugar

Method:

1. Fill up a deep fat fryer with oil and switch on to 190 degrees and allow it to heat.
2. Whilst waiting for it to heat, mix up the ingredients to coat the Oreos. Pour the plain flour, sugar, milk and egg into a bowl and whisk together until there are no lumps left in the mixture and it resembles a thick batter.
3. Drop the Oreos into the batter and make sure they are completely covered in it.
4. One by one drop them into the deep fat fryer, making sure to turn them with a spoon to make sure they don’t stick.
5. When golden remove from fryer and place on kitchen towel to soak up.
6. Coat with icing sugar and enjoy.

Love Story Fizz

Turn up your cocktail game with a drink that's simple but special at the same time. A sparkling wine based cocktail will add the celebratory touch the occasion requires, bubbles are always a happy choice! Paula suggests this treat with cranberries and lime, the perfect sweet-sour combo.

Ingredients

• Half juice of a lime
• 75ml of Cranberry
• Top up with Freixenet Cordon Negro

Method:

1. Grab your favourite flute or cocktail glass and pour in 75ml of cranberry juice.
2. Pour in your chilled Freixenet Cordon Negro cava until your glass is full.
3. Take your lime and cut into halves, squeeze the juice of half of the lime into your cocktail glass, grab a straw and stir gently to mix the cocktail.
4. To complete your cocktail, take a small slice of lime and with a sharp knife cut a small slit into the lime, then add to the side of the champagne glass to garnish.
5. Enjoy!