How To Celebrate Valentine’s Day During Lockdown

 

If you’d have told us this time last year that we’d be celebrating Valentine’s Day in a national lockdown due to the ongoing effects of a global pandemic we just wouldn’t have believed you! But here we are and after events from birthdays to weddings, Eid to Diwali, have all been celebrated rather differently we’re starting to become pros at making sure special occasions remain… well… special, and Valentine’s Day should be no exception.

First things first – food. One of the best bits of any celebration in our opinion! Lockdown may limit our options somewhat but that doesn’t mean we don’t have choices and here are a few to consider:

• Order takeaway – Perhaps the most obvious and the easiest, local restaurants need all the help they can get at the moment and ordering in from your local spot would mean the world to them!
• Supermarket meal deal – Another easy option, loads of supermarkets have deals on tasty meals that you simply bung in the oven then serve, something even the most inexperienced chef (🙋‍♀️) should be able to handle.
• Recipe boxes – If you’re feeling a little more adventurous why not try a recipe box service such as Hello Fresh or Gousto OR
• See if any of your local restaurants are offering cook your own meal kits. Your favourite meal from your favourite place and the challenge of trying to recreate it yourselves, that sounds like a win in our books! Square Meal have rounded up the best from across the country.
• And for the really brave of heart (or the exceptionally talented), why not try a new recipe from scratch from your aforementioned favourite restaurant? We particularly love the Dishoom Cookery Book and Hawksmoor at Home.

 

Next order of business – get dressed up. Who cares if you have nowhere to go or if you haven’t worn anything more formal than leggings since that one time at the end of the last lockdown when you begrudgingly put on jeans? Pick an outfit that makes you remember what it’s like to spend a night outside your four walls and enjoy it! And if you can’t face super fancy then check out this Boden sweater dress for the perfect mix of glam and comfy!

 

 

Okay, now for some rules. Number one – no talking about the kids, just for one night. We’re all guilty of it, we show our partners the super cute photo we took earlier in the day, we get into a discussion about how tummy time is progressing or how homeschooling went today (parents fighting this battle, we see you!), and while it’s totally understandable we highly recommend switching the topic to something else – you’ll feel better for it. Secondly, and we mean this, put your phones away. All the way away!

Last but not least – what to actually do with your day/evening. If you’re both at home all day together due to lockdown, working from home etc. then try and get outside the four walls of your house if you can. A walk around the block (with no phones and no kid chat remember) is better than nothing and if you’ve gotten all dressed up you might as well share it with the world. Then for the rest of the evening? Pick an activity, something new you can both look forward to, and focus on nothing but that. And each other of course! A movie (with popcorn, obviously), a new board game (Peaky Blinders fans, this is the game you never knew you needed), a puzzle, some arts and crafts, whatever floats your boats. For theatre and opera buffs missing live performances, Marquee TV is our new favourite thing, David Tenant’s RSC Richard II performance has had us in raptures all over again!

 

And if all of the above fails and your plans turn into a family pyjama night on the sofa watching Moana for the 4th time this week then you’re doing just fine too! This isn’t the time to be putting too much pressure on yourselves.