Valentines

Food and Drink Gifts For St Valentine's Day

Undoubtedly one of the most romantic times of the year and, in our opinion, a perfectly timed celebration of love to bring joy and cheer to the midst of the cold winter, St Valentine's is a gifting dream for food lovers everywhere!

Here at Provender Brown we  offer lots of love-themed food and drink ideas for this special day. After all, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach – and we can confirm it’s also the way to many a good woman’s heart, too!

Have a browse below to buy Valentine's Day gifts online, or drop into the deli on George Street in Perth.  We also recommend you click through to our Gifting Chocolates selection, featuring everything from a Champagne Truffles to Brodie's Scottish Berries Chocolates.

As well as these wonderful wines, gins, champagnes and chocolates for Valentine's, you can also buy a ready-made gift box or create your own hamper right here on the website for delivery or collection.

The History of Food For St Valentine's Day

Dig around a little and you’ll discover that the history of Valentine’s Day is somewhat dark, going back to 3rd century Rome with the execution of a priest named Valentinus, known today as St. Valentine.

So, how did we get from a Roman tragedy to boxes of artisan chocolates and love gin?

Well, the first official reference to romance finally appeared more than a thousand years after the martyr’s death when Geoffrey Chaucer decided that the feast of St. Valentinus was related to the mating of birds, and European nobility began sending love notes during bird-mating season.

Shortly after, Shakespeare’s love, Ophelia, called herself Hamlet’s Valentine but it was when King Henry V hired a writer to compose a valentine’s note to Catherine of Valois, that love-letter writing became associated with the day.

In the 17th century, it became common for friends and lovers to exchange small gifts and handwritten notes in Great Britain and at much the same time, the Spanish explorers brought chocolate back to the Old World from the New World. Soon enough the popularity increased in Europe and chocolate, possibly for its aphrodisiac effects, became the gift of choice for the lover's holiday.

By the time the Industrial Revolution came round in the 19th century, factory-made Valentine’s Day cards and proper postage created a boom! Whilst flowers became a popular choice for Valentine’s Day - the rose is the favourite flower of Venus, the Goddess of Love because it stands for strong feelings - chocolates and wine have always reminded stand-out gifts.