Go sweet for Valentine’s Day

WITH Valentine’s Day less than 10 days away, it’s time to start thinking about some special treats. When life gets busy, puddings tend to be neglected. Yet just about everyone loves a homemade pudding.

It’s also fair to say that the pudding is the easiest part of the meal to prepare, as it can be made in advance. It’s also fun making it look attractive – scatter a few petals on the top of a cheesecake or grate some lemon and lime peel or chocolate to make it look special.

And dig out a special plate to serve it on – cue Angela Gray’s key lime pie (from Delicious Bundles, published by Graffeg). The recipe serves four to six people, so there will be plenty of pudding for second helpings and for the next day.

You can’t beat chocolate and both Simon King from Restaurant 1861, near Abergavenny, and Jim Dobson, from the Fox & Hounds, Llancarfan, indulge in dark and white chocolate respectively. Simon also suggests accompanying his mousse with a delicious glass of chilled pudding wine.

The Valentine’s Day tradition goes back a long way and what is thought to be the oldest surviving Valentine’s letter is housed in the British Library. It was written by Margery Brews to her fiancé John Paston in February 1477. She describes John as her “right well beloved valentine [sic]”. She explains that she is not well in body or heart until she hears from him, going on to explain that her mother has tried, so far unsuccessfully, to increase her dowry.

It seems that John was not motivated purely by the prospective of a big fat dowry, as the couple went on to marry.