Valentine’s Day breakfasts to remember

Surprise your other half this Valentine’s Day with these gorgeous breakfast in bed recipes.

"I believe the key to happiness is: someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to." Elvis Presley

Valentine’s, much like Christmas, is a day to step it up, choose the appropriate gift and cook up delicious food – anything less could be a potential disaster. To pull it off, you’ll need advance planning – you can’t just stroll into your favourite restaurant and expect a table, and those garage forecourt flowers won’t cut it.

Bearing this in mind, I’ve taken some of Jamie’s breakfast recipes and given them the Symmetry Breakfast treatment to get you cooking up a treat for your other half this coming Valentine’s morning.

If you’re happy for things to take a little bit longer in the oven, then skip the first step of parboiling these potatoes and cut them a smidge smaller. You can then cook the whole thing in one dish and save on the un-romantic washing up.

Breakfast in bed can be awfully messy and uncomfortable, but there are ways to contain it! Any of these egg recipes can be baked inside individual wholemeal bread rolls: simply slice the top off the roll, pinch the dough out of the middle, line the inside with your chosen filling then crack in an egg before wrapping the whole thing in foil and baking in the oven for 15 minutes. The added beauty of these is that they can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge, ready to bake, meaning minimum effort on the day.

Swap the milk in this recipe for a 400ml tin of coconut milk and add a few shots of dark rum for a spectacularly indulgent hard shake that is also vegan. Possibly not one for first thing in the morning!

For a perfect breakfast for your loved one, follow this recipe but split the dough into six larger rolls instead of 10. Bake, load up with bacon, then sit back and enjoy to the sounds of Elvis Presley “Can’t Help Falling in Love”.

As with any occasion where love and food are involved, there are some other key points to consider:

What do they like to eat? It seems an obvious one, but if they don’t have a sweet tooth then don’t make them sweet pancakes

What do they have for breakfast on a regular day? If it's porridge or toast it might be wise to side step these and do something different

What was the first thing you ever cooked for them? Or is this the first time you’ve cooked for them? Sometimes, tea and toast is all love needs

Have you been on holiday together and enjoyed a particular dish? Now could be a good time to recreate that moment

This year, Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday, which means you might have had a drink the night before. Does a hangover need curing, and if so, can you face cooking with a hangover?

Finally, the experience needs to be embellished somehow. Flowers? Valentine’s card? Background music? Or perhaps just cancel any plans you had and go back to bed.