Valentine’s Day is a time for romance, spending time with the one you love and enjoying good food in great company. However, as living costs rise and household budgets are stretched, more and more couples are planning to opt out of the Valentine’s meal out and instead are enjoying an evening in, surrounded by rose petals and scented candles.

Celebrating at home doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your romantic meal as frozen ingredients and prepared meals can mean even the most culinary challenged can prepare a romantic gourmet meal to impress this Valentine’s Day.

Frozen food can provide the ideal balance between providing a delicious, high quality meal on a budget without confining yourself to the kitchen, leaving you free to spend the most romantic night of the year with the one you love.

Creamy Dill Recipe 

Ingredients

• 2 frozen salmon fillets
• Half of one garlic clove
• 2 slices of lemon
• 2 sprigs of fresh dill
• A dab of butter
• 2 single servings of frozen cooked rice
• Tartar sauce
• 2 servings of frozen petit pois
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil.

Step One

Defrost your frozen salmon fillets and your rice. Chop your half clove of garlic into thin slices and place on top of the salmon fillets. Cut two slices of lemon and place one on each fillet.

Step Two

Grease one side of a square of aluminium kitchen foil with butter and place the frozen fish fillets on top. Roll the foil over the frozen fish so that each  fillet is completely covered and scrunch up the join so that the package is airtight. Place the fillets in an oven proof dish and place in a preheated oven, 180˚C / gas mark 6 for about 20 minutes.

Step Three

Place rice in a small oven proof dish and put in the oven with the salmon fillets after 15 minutes. This will heat the rice in the 5 minutes remaining cooking time for the salmon.

Step Four

Place two servings of frozen peas in a saucepan and bring to the boil for a couple of minutes.

Step Five

Place two tablespoons of tartar sauce in a small saucepan and gently stir in a dessert spoon of water and heat through, stirring, without boiling to achieve a single cream like consistency.

Step Six

Arrange the fish, rice and peas on a plate and drizzle the sauce over the fish. Place the sprig of dill on the fillet and replace your cooked lemon with a fresh slice.

Cheesecake with raspberries, a sprig of mint and a dusting of icing sugar

Ingredients

• 1 frozen cheesecake
• 1 pot of summer fruit coulis
• 2 servings of frozen raspberries
• 1 bunch of fresh mint
• A dusting of icing sugar

Step One

Defrost your frozen cheesecake by following the instructions on the packaging (generally speaking – leaving the cheesecake overnight in your fridge will defrost the frozen cheesecake thoroughly). Take the frozen dessert out of its packaging whilst still solid. If you try to remove it from the dish when thawed it may not keep its shape.

Step Two

About an hour before serving your cheesecake, defrost the raspberries and place around the cheesecake and pour the coulis over.

Step Three

Using a sieve, gently dust your cheesecake with icing sugar and arrange the mint on top.

Hints and Tips

As frozen food can be 34% better value than fresh, money could be left aside for that special present that your partner has been hinting at for weeks…