FOOD and love… forever woven into the affairs of the heart.

Food is one of thee vital ingredients in the Art of Seduction; ever since Neanderthal man first clonked his bird and dragged her by the hair to his cosy cave or Mark Anthony fed Cleopatra grapes and Posh fed David salt n vinegar, we have been indulging in the simplest yet most profound romantic act of sharing food.

Dining out on Valentines should be considered carefully before making any reservations – ask yourself why you are being charged 50% more than the average price for three courses in any given restaurant, maybe there’s a glass of fizz and chocolates thrown in but you will be lucky to get value for money.

Aphrodisiacs are unfortunately, biologically speaking, an urban myth.

There is no credible evidence to suggest that a diet of oysters will transform us into Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger wrestling with the contents of our fridge.

However scientists have proven that chocolate does trigger dopamine - the same chemical that is released when we are in love -so it makes perfect sense to treat the object of your desires to my indulgent double chocolate chip brownie. Best served warm and gooey... a bit like love itself...

Ingredients

130g of quality Dark Chocolate

200g of Butter

3 Medium Eggs

400g of moscovado sugar

165g Plain Flour

20g Cocoa Powder

1tsp of Baking Powder

3tsp Vanilla Extract

Method

Preheat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gasmark 6.

Melt the chocolate and butter together over hot water.

Beat together the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract/paste, add to the melted chocolate and butter, mix.

Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder, then fold into the rest of the mix.

Pour into a lined and greased baking tray.

Cook for 22 minutes (the knife should come out clean when cooked), try and