Valentine’s Day

And this is where it all began ......

It is said that in the 3rd century AD a Roman Christian priest, called Valentine, was thrown in jail for facilitating the romance between single men and young women. It was thought at the time, that married men made bad soldiers and Valentine displeased the Emperor Claudius II and was thrown in jail. It is said that he fell in love with the jailer’s daughter and on the day of his execution on 14 February, he sent her a love letter signed ‘from your Valentine’.

The Aztecs are often credited with making the connection between chocolate and love, or at least lust, when 16th-century ruler Montezuma noticed that his ability to “please the ladies” was enhanced after drinking cocoa. Rumour has it that he drank three gallons of the chocolate-y drink a day to increase his libido – not sure all that liquid on board would help with the love-life!

However, it was a well-known chocolate company in 1861 who marketed the idea of putting pictures of Cupids and rosebuds onto heart-shaped boxes and filling them with chocolates. These boxes could be used as keepsakes (love-letters, mementos, etc) after the chocolates had been eaten. A genius marketing ploy back in the 19th century! The commercialisation of Valentine’s Day flourished in America at the turn of the 20th century and as usual, we followed suit.

Please check out my Valentine chocolate range in my online shop. This includes, personalised lollipops and bars, Love Lobsters (they mate for life!), Love-hearts with flirty messages, Sea-Salt Caramel red sparkly hearts, to name but a few. So go ahead, spread the love and splash out on a Valentine-themed treat – let’s face it, you won’t be booking that expensive restaurant with the over-priced wine list this year!