Tag Archives: Valentine’s

113 Years Old And Still Moist: The Oldest Wedding Cake In The World

The Mirror
This image is only made more horrifying by imagining what the bride and bridegroom currently look like…
The icing’s gone brown and there’s a big crack in the side, but this wedding cake is in pretty good nick – considering it was baked 113 years ago. Made in 1898, this is the oldest complete wedding cake in the world. Incredibly, it has survived a Second World War bomb blast. And despite its vintage, the rich fruit cake inside the ornate icing is still moist. It was originally on display in the window of a family bakery, in Basingstoke, Hants. When the shop closed in 1964, the cake was stored in the family’s loft for almost a century, until it was donated to the town’s Willis Museum.
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Rather Rustic Romance

Fay Maschler, Evening Standard
The slogan: ‘Down In One Dining’ might attract the tourists…
“Faire chabrot” refers to pouring red wine into an almost finished bowl of soup, lifting it to the lips and enthusiastically draining the contents to the last drop. It is a tradition associated with south-west France and in this new Knightsbridge restaurant there is a picture of a moustachioed, horny-handed French peasant, large bottle tucked under his arm, full glass at the ready, loaf of crusty bread at his elbow, contentedly demonstrating the technique.
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Love bites: Skye Gyngell’s decadent Valentine’s Day nibbles

Independent On Sunday
For me, a Valentine’s dinner requires something simple – yet it should have a decadent edge, too. So chill some champagne or prosecco, and with that I like the idea of pâté simply served with toast and perhaps a little butter to go alongside. I think chocolate truffles are perfect to finish with – well-made, they’re intensely rich and one or two is all you need. Tomorrow night should be stress-free, so if you can, make the pâté and the truffles the day before or at least in good time, allowing you to do nothing more than pour out the fizz and grill some bread.
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Broken Hearted Doctor

The Guardian
Ward off disease by eating deep-fried chicken nuggets, says very important doctor. Or possibly the other way round…
Fry-ups, burger and chips, fizzy drinks and ice cream for pudding. You would expect to see these delights on the menu at a McDonald’s or Burger King. But, sadly, this is the sort of food that is also likely to be served at your local hospital. I work as a cardiologist at one of Britain’s leading cardiac centres. I have been a qualified doctor for almost a decade, working in many hospitals throughout the country, and I am extremely proud to occupy a privileged position treating cardiac patients.
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What To Do If You’re Born On Valentine’s Day

San Francisco Chronicle
Table for eight, please…
Having the unfortunate blessing of being born on Valentine’s Day, I’ve spent most of my birthdays awkwardly sharing heart-shaped desserts with my parents in candlelit restaurants packed with murmuring couples, despite my desire to hole up, order in pizza and call it a night. “You must be the Brickman party,” the maitre d’ would inevitably sniff as we walked in, sizing up the four or six of us – depending on whether or not my sister and I brought dates – before leading us to a hidden table in the back. This year, I have my first real shot at a two-person dinner. My family is back in New York, and as is the case most years, all my friends are either paired off and have booked romantic dinners or are single and plan to spend the night sadistically watching “The Bachelor” with a bottle of vodka.
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Strawberry Vodka Shows Her You Care

Kavey Eats
Sometimes oysters don’t work quickly enough
Last summer we went strawberry picking. I enjoyed it so much I ended up with far too many strawberries. Some we ate fresh, of course – with and without cream. I made a lot into strawberry jam (though it didn’t set so I have several jars of what I’m calling strawberry sauce for ice-cream!). And some went into strawberry ice-cream. The rest I decided to make into strawberry vodka, having been inspired by friends’ efforts.
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If Food Be The Food Of Love…

The Guardian
A bit of voodoo gastronomy for Valentine’s Day.
The pinky goo of Valentine’s Day draws near, as we are reminded relentlessly from various quarters. “Chef X has prepared a unique Valentine’s menu using naughty ingredient Y.” “New research reveals turnips are the vegetable of love, says Turnip Marketing Board.” Sainsbury’s launches heart-shaped cucumber. Nonsense, all of it, but it got me thinking about aphrodisiacs, those comestibles reputed to license roving hands and cause people to leap into bed together with gay (and straight) abandon.
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An affair to remember: dates with a difference

Telegraph
Pets, whiskey or performance art: just don’t take her to Ask
The Wapping project Supper at a restaurant. An art exhibition. A night at the theatre. All classic date territory but not exactly original. Unless you try the Wapping Project. Once the Wapping Hydraulic power station, it?s now part-restaurant, part-performance space, and, well, just about the coolest place in London. Indeed it is so trendy that guests sit between brooding photographs and pieces of industrial machinery. The building boasts an in-house butcher; the furniture is, to be frank, ugly and the website is so ephemeral that it is almost impossible to navigate. But, East London edginess aside, the restaurant is excellent, and the layout is in a constant state of flux, meaning your meal may overlap with anything from a post-Postmodern art installation to a classic film night. To book a table visit www.thewappingproject.com
Then ask her to marry you
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