Romantically-themed restaurant menus, over-priced red roses and a room of cooing couples can drain the romance out of any Valentine’s Day dinner.

Indeed Janine Ratcliffe, food editor of Olive magazine, admits that she’s more likely to be found hiding in her kitchen than in a fancy restaurant on the big day.

“I won’t be going out, I’ll be cooking and sharing a bottle,” says the writer.

But, if you go for a romantic evening in, make sure you know your limits. Don’t try it if you’ve never cooked it before and, even if you have, don’t spend the whole night in the kitchen.

Lamb chops with Turkish pepper salsa Trim all the fat off the chops for the low-fat option, or leave a little on for maximum flavour.

1 rack of lamb, about 8 chops 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses 1/2 red pepper, finely diced 1/2 cucumber, small, seeded and finely diced 1 red onion small, diced Small handful of mint leaves, chopped roughly, plus extra to garnish 1 tbsp tomato purée 50g feta, crumbled Heat the oven to 200C/gas 6. Rub the rack with 2 tbsp of the pomegranate molasses and season well. Sear in a non-stick pan to brown on both sides. Put on a baking tray and roast for 15 minutes. Remove and rest for 10 minutes. Put the red pepper, cucumber, red onion and mint in a bowl with the remaining pomegranate syrup and tomato purée. Season with salt and mix well. Slice the rack into chops and spoon the salsa over. Sprinkle the crumbled feta and the extra mint leaves over each plate before serving.