SIMPLY DELICIOUS

Slow-cooked ragu

‘I like to keep things simple,’ says Jackson Boxer, chef patron of Brunswick House and Orasay. ‘The first thing I ever cooked my wife Melissa was an omelette, using a courgette I’d grown, sliced very thinly and fried in olive oil with garlic, then folded inside a French omelette. Now, if I want to be romantic, I do something long and slow, like ragu of meat and vegetables cooked in stock overnight.’

Poached haddock & buttery mash

‘Valentine’s night is when my other half cooks for me, and we have a tradition: buttery mashed potatoes with wilted spinach, poached haddock topped with a perfect poached egg and chives,’ says food writer Georgina Hayden.

Scallop gratin

‘Served in one large roasting tin or half scallop shells, this dish is a lovely and easy way to prepare scallops – but looks and feels delicious too,’ says Rukmini Iyer, author of the Quick Roasting Tin. ‘The scallops work beautifully with punchy chorizo and creamy leeks.’

Moules frites

‘Simple moules frites with oven chips because we don’t want to be deep-frying on a date night,’ says Rosie Birkett, author of the Substack A Lot On Her Plate.

Buttery gnudi

‘Gnudi is so romantic and luxurious – pillowy balls of ricotta and Parmesan with a touch of nutmeg, cloaked in a herby, silky brown butter sauce,’ says Milli Taylor, head chef of the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen.

Steak and chips

‘I would pan fry a sirloin steak so it’s medium rare,’ says José Pizarro, head chef of his eponymous restaurant. ‘It’s perfection. Serve it with chips.’