So when it comes to Valentine’s Day, which of the following characters are you? Are you the “Baby, I love you all year and I don’t need to prove that to you on one day” type, or the red petals on the floor, Barry White on the stereo and candles everywhere kind?

Whichever type you are – defiant or a disciple – you can’t take away the fact that February 14, unlike February 29, will always form part of the calendar, year in, year out. You might as well give in and show somebody you love them on that special day.

Except for a select few, Valentine’s Day falls at an awkward part of the month when many have been paid a fortnight before and are waiting another two weeks to get the next financial relief.

If you did not plan for it in December, because January is always notorious for being long and cash-strapped, chances are your day of love is not going to be as special.

But does money make anything special? I follow the school of thought which asserts that some presents, no matter how expensive, fail to express the emotion attached. In fact, some people hide behind the cash and deceive their loved ones into thinking that the number of digits on the price tag equates to how they feel inside.

Yet, in my opinion, love is the appreciation of the simple things. Such as knowing the other person as you know yourself – to the point where you could be put on Jeopardy and ace all the questions about your better half.

If you are not planning to do anything special outside, then you may want to join Ina Garten on Food Network’s Barefoot Contessa – Back to Basics as she gives you tips on how to make a romantic meal. You should record this if you can because, as usual, Garten has many nuggets of knowledge that will be worth remembering long after February.

To add some excitement to the show, especially for Valentine’s Day, we are going to see a bunch of selected designers from non-cooking backgrounds take part in an interesting challenge. They all have to come up with a cake that looks like their favourite romantic novel. Now that’s thinking outside the kitchen. To add more sweetener to the deal, the contestants have to have the actual book by their side so we can compare.

So if you are a Maggie Shayne or an Angela Knight fan, you might just see one of their books being deliciously remade.

If you were to be asked to do the same, would you even know when to begin? These guys will have to have some clue, otherwise they are, wait for it, toast!

Instead of paying a hefty amount at a restaurant in the middle of the month, why not catch a show like this and make your own meal?