Valentine’s Day is going to be incredibly different this year – we can’t go out! People can’t celebrate in 2021 the same way they normally would do. Usually restaurants are fully booked and we look forward to that boost after a quiet January. This year though we’re at home and you can already see lots of restaurants are preparing their home dining options. Galton at Morston Hall’s doing something. Pea Porridge which just got a Michelin Star is doing something. We are. Roger Hickman is. So many of us in the industry will be giving a helping hand so people can have a fantastic evening at home.

I also think, we can’t really go to the shops to pick up gifts in the same way we could before at the moment, and that brings me to this week’s recipe. It’s a little something to make for your loved one so when they come back from work, or down the stairs from their home office, you can fill them with joy and make them smile.

Dip them in chocolate. Put some raspberries on top. A bit of edible gold or gold dust, and you can turn these thin, crisp biscuits into a really great Valentine’s present. In Norfolk we have this tradition of Jack Valentine where you knock on the door and run away. These biscuits are perfect for leaving on the doorsteps of people we love – we can’t see anyone anyway. Make a batch and leave them out for a friend, grandparents you can’t visit, someone who’s going to be on their own. Such a lovely gesture and a way to make them feel loved.

Richard’s biscuits

(Makes roughly 24)

Ingredients

1/2tsp baking powder

250g plain flour

1 medium free-range egg

125g salted butter

125g sugar

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Combine the butter, sugar and egg in a bowl with your hands or a whisk. Sieve the flour into the mix along with the baking powder and knead to a dough. Roll into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. Dust a surface with flour and roll the dough to 2mm to 4mm thin. Use a heart shaped (or other) cutter to cut out your biscuits, re-rolling the dough out as you go along.

Bake in the oven for six to eight minutes and place on a cooling rack. Decorate as you fancy.