MIGHTY FINE VALENTINE

If you’re flinging yourself in front of Cupid’s bow this year (or not) an abundance of places are celebrating love, lust and friendship. Over the next few days we’ve got boujie, bargain and amusing suggestions that go light on the saccharine side of things. Those looking for a laid-back, casual affair will fall head over heels for the Swiss cheese fondue experience at Haugen, served with a bottle of Nyetimber Classic Cuvee and chocolate fondue to finish (£135). Find novelty value at Nine Lives with a screening of Quentin Tarantino’s True Romance, accompanied by cocktails, ceviche, ice-cream sandos and plenty of popcorn (£22 each). Or celebrate early with a larger-than-life brunch at Ravinder Bhogal and Kurdish chef Melek Erdalis’s event

Weekends Are For Bak-Lovers! at Jikoni on 12-13 February (£60 each) and Henry Freestone’s

Peckham Cellars Valentine’s menu, serving four courses including Maldon oysters and tender lamb rump (£45) plus a wine pairing (£35) on the 13th. Knock your date’s socks off with a trip to

Pizarro for an eight-course tasting menu focusing on the delicacies of land and sea such as prawn and pork canelón and rib-eye on the bone (£75). Stop by the new Rose Lumiere bar in Selfridges for all things alcoholic, fizzy and pink. For the height of opulence pay 34 Mayfair a visit for the luxurious raspberry mousse (£12) and the joys of a live jazz band. Or why not sling back sustainably sourced oysters before polishing off freshly caught lobster and a glass or five of vinho verde at

The Seafood Bar (from £45), where your date will receive a memento to mark the occasion, saving you the mad dash to Liberty beforehand.