Everyone, surely, would like a kiss on Valentine’s Day and that’s my best advice when it comes to cooking for your loved one today – stick to the KISS principle.

Keep It Simple and you should avoid turning your dinner à deux into a dinner oh duh.

Here – and I speak from personal experience – are some suggested do’s and don’ts:

Don’t over-complicate the menu and don’t experiment wildly with something you’ve never cooked before. In the early stages of our relationship my husband and I tried doing something tricksy with oysters – in the culinary sense I mean – and they turned out so salty as to be virtually inedible.

Do prepare ahead – you don’t want to be spending all night sweating inelegantly over a stove rather than flirting elegantly over a glass of bubbly.

Having said that, don’t hit the champagne too early. It’s not a great aid to cooking unless it’s in the sauce.

I would caution against flavours that could linger unpleasantly on the breath – so the Chicken with 50 Cloves of Garlic is probably a no-no today.

Don’t eat so much that you have to change into your Bridget Jones Big Pants just so you can breathe. I remember the time when I ate so much mashed potato that my partner had to walk me round the block. I thought it was funny and quirky. He just thought I was weird. (He married me anyway but not all men are so easy-going.)

And finally, do set a timer just in case you get distracted by the charms of your significant other. I once cremated a chicken casserole that way and we had to go out for a Chinese takeaway.

Happy Valentine’s Day!