The 14th February will be a little different this year. No-one will be going out for a Valentine’s meal so how about creating a special evening at home. Invest in a few key pieces for your table and you can create a lovely table for Valentine’s Day – order the food in too and you’ll be all set.
Melody Rose
Before you start deciding what to eat, you need something to serve the food on. In my home, we have the day-to-day crockery and then all the ‘occasion’ plates. Not just ‘best’ as it used to be called – we will have plates for pizza nights, plates for Indian nights, cheese plates – brought home from the US, the South of France etc etc…! I’m a little obsessed with crockery if I’m honest.
Wanting to add more to my collection, I’ve had my eye on Melody Rose for a while. I love their whimsical take on traditional crockery. Their range features images that are fun, and maybe shocking – check out the Models plates. The latest collection, The Show Must Go On, features imagery inspired by vintage Circus posters – say hello to The Wonderful Alfonso.
Broste Copenhagen
Cutlery is a really important aspect for any dining table. It helps set the style and look of your table – simple and elegant, or grand and traditional?
For this Valentine’s table, I’ve chosen the Tvis set from Broste. I love the warm gold colour. As your table will be set with candelight at this time of year, the candles will embrace the warmth of the cutlery.
You can find full sets of the cutlery online but this is another item where you can be selective – everything in your house doesn’t have to match! Maybe you’ll choose to buy some dessert forks so this cutlery comes out when cake is served? Or bring it out when you serve the cheese course.
Richard Brendon
Fine glassware always finishes a table, whether it’s champagne coupes or water glasses.
Richard Brendon has developed a range with the David Collins Studio and Gleneagles Hotel called the Fluted collection. The range draws inspiration from the decadent cocktail culture of the Art Deco 1920s.
Fluted glass has returned to favour recently and is seen increasingly in cabinetry. The simple elegance of this range would be perfect to start your Valentine’s evening with a glass of fizz.
Ginger Ray
Now we need to add some atmosphere to the table – this is when we need to choose the candlelight, no overhead lighting for this special meal.
When laying the table, I always like to include several types of candles. Pillar candles will add height to the table and provide a great source of light – so you aren’t eating in the dark!
I also like to scatter small tealight holders around the table to provide accent lighting. I love these small ones from Ginger Ray – actually we love them so much, we used them in our wedding decoration. They are just the right size to allow you to use them around the table in groups of three – the warm gold interior will embrace the gold style on your table.
Paxton & Whitfield
So we now have the crockery, cutlery, glasses and candelight – what else? Oh yes, the actual food.
Lockdown has seen a huge rise on the concept of ‘at home’ when a local restaurant will provide their food for you to cook at home. We’ve been lucky to enjoy Claridge’s Chicken Pie many times in the hotel so we may be ordering that! At £25, it’s also one of the cheaper at-home dining options.
When we get to the cheese course, I’ll be ordering a selection from Paxton & Whitfield. Their Jermyn Street store is a cheese lover’s dream. They currently have a Valentine’s Cheese Treats selection available online – get your order in today.
So the table is laid, and the food is on order – you are all set for your Valentine’s evening. 2021 may be different for us, but you can still have a stylish, romantic evening dining at home. Whatever your plans, enjoy your date night.