Hectic Host: In the Mood for Valentine’s Day.
Planning Valentine’s Day festivities can be a little hard for us to stomach, on the back of Christmas & New Year’s over-indulgences. Fortunately for us Hectic Hosts the key to this particular holiday is to keep it as simple as possible. You want to present light fare; which one can savour, rather than spending hours in the kitchen creating a borderline- banquet. Contrary to the old adage; no-one’s heart has yet been reached via their stomach and moreover you don’t want to add too many dirty dishes; allow yourself some morning-after-duvet-dwell-time.
Just as important as the food, is the mood you create; you should aim for an evening which is beguiling in all senses of the word, and beguiling of all the senses.
Follow our 5-step plan for the perfect romantic evening.
Sound.
Music is the single greatest mood maker, and although this sounds easy it is very easy to create entirely the wrong mix. Forget showcasing your forgotten 45s, you want a mellow mood; music you can talk over, tunes that are not jarring or not going to divert you from the task at hand. Jazz and Swing classic cannot be beaten, so load your iPod with plenty of Ella, loads of Frank, a dot of Doris and a dash of Dean.
Smell.
Smell is the most persuasive and provocative of the senses. Burn a scented candle before your loved one arrives. Again you want to go for simple single notes rather than overpowering fussy fragrances. Rose is the most romantic, try a True Grace Moroccan Rose candle from Roullier White (£20) or heat a little rose essential oil (£12.95) from Health Matters (Lordship Lane, SE22) in an infuser.
When applying your own scent remember once again, less is more. Dab it onto your pressure points (as you warm up the fragrance will wake up) or spray it into the room and walk through it. Dr Boo (North Cross Road, SE22), Celestial (Lordship Lane, SE22) and Roullier White have some very seductive scents.
Sight.
You want to be the centre of attention on this occasion so avoid unnecessary distractions. You don’t want huge flower arrangements you cannot see through or candelabras inconveniently placed at eye level. Lilies are lovely but not tonight Jo and Josephine. A hand reaching across the table needs to be seen. You want to keep the focus low, so opt for tea lights and posies arranged in tumblers or strewn rose stems. Loose petals should be collected for the bed or floated in the bath. We are blessed with many fabulous florists including; Bonnies’ for Flowers, and John Allen (Lordship Lane, SE22), Fresh Flower Company (Northcross Road, SE22), Bartley Flowers (Dulwich Village, Se21) and Louise Taylor (Dulwich Road, SE24) to name but a flowery few.
Taste.
Don’t over do it. This is one evening when the menu dictates that you have carte blanche to leave them wanting more. Oysters since the dawn of time have been considered a mood enhancer; they are rich in zinc, which is believed to raise the libido. Casanova is said to have consumed 50 oysters prior to each dalliance to keep his particular pecker up.
Buy oysters from F C Soper’s (Evelina Street, SE15) or Moxons (Lordship Lane, SE22). Serve them on a bed of ice and drizzle with lemon and Tabasco. Ask for them ‘shucked’. You don’t want another St Valentine’s Day Massacre and to spend the night in A&E.
Champagne is a given (splash out on a bottle of 2000 Jacquesson Avize Grand Cru, £59 from Green & Blue, Lordship Lane, SE22) and of course a treat of chocolate. Chilli gets the blood flowing and vitamin C is an essential for stamina; Hope & Greenwood’s (Northcross Road, SE22) Chilli & Lime Truffles (£3.25) are therefore perfect.
Touch.
Over to you!
Happy Valentine’s Day.
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