Venison for Valentines

So Valentine's Day is coming up…and here's betting you haven't got round to booking a table. The thing is, you don't have to! It's not the only way to wisely woo your loved one, as eating in is the new eating out.

We've rustled up the perfect plan to get you going. Venison is the ideal show stopping meat to get your spouse a'swooning. It's the ultimate Valentine's-day meal because it is high in iron, which apparently aids 'performance…'

Venison is a delicious alternative to the classic steak dinner we all tend to plump for on February the 14^th. For years it was seen as an aristocratic choice, but championed by many of our top chefs across Yorkshire, it is now hugely popular and widely available. We get ours from venison visionary, Richard Elmhirst at Round Green Farm, in Barnsley.

So how do you cook it? Treat venison as you would a high quality steak. Don't cook it for too long and try out a marinade to really enhance its flavour. Crush garlic, rosemary, and blend into apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce for a punchy, fragrant taste which will take the game to great heights.

And what to serve as an accompaniment? We all know oysters are an aphrodisiac - but what about potatoes? When first introduced to the European palate, the humble tatty was as exotic as the Yuzu fruit is to us today. Herbalists insisted that the potato could cure everything from headaches to tuberculosis and labelled them the 'Apples of Love.'

While the trusty Maris Piper might not considered that provocative, its saucy French cousin the Vitelotte certainly is. This unusual purple potato is a gourmet French variety which has been cultivated in France since the early 19th century. Its violet blue flesh looks gorgeous alongside a handsome steak of venison and would make the ideal sexy side for your Valentine's meal.