How to Create the Perfect Romantic Night

Creating the perfect romantic night is a chance to show your partner how much you care for them and one of the best ways to pull this off is to plan a meal and a movie at home.

Now, when it comes to planning a romantic meal, unless your are the next Nigella Lawson, or Gordon Ramsey, have a hunt around for some cool romantic menus. It’s not just about popping down to the local Indian takeaway and coming back with a handful of Vindaloos and poppadoms.

A romantic meal requires planning and that’s not only the food, but also the setting (maybe candlelight etc) and the wine. It all has to add up to a feeling of warmth and shared enjoyment, a sensuality that both diners can enjoy.

And you can’t go far wrong with a meal planned by the ever-youthful Jamie Oliver. Have a look at www.jamiesdinners.com to get the idea. You will see that he’s planned a very light menu, without stodgy, or heavy going food.

He starts with cool vegetable crudités accompanied by a pea and yoghurt dip. Next comes scrumptious stir-fired duck with sugar snap peas and asparagus. It’s finished of with baked pears dressed with walnut cream. And to drink, Bellinis. This is an absolutely gorgeous creation which has at its heart peaches and Prosecco; a superb combination.

So, when you’ve got through that treat, you can bound over to the sofa and spin your favourite disc on the DVD player. Everyone has their favourite, but here are a few to remind you.

Top of most people’s lists is the wearing-well 1942 classic Casablanca. Who hasn’t once in their lives day-dreamed of being in the shoes of Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), or Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman)? Now they were the days.

Another big romantic hit is Rear Window, a further classic, this time from 1954 and one of Hitchcock’s best. Starring the irrepressible James Stewart and the immortal Grace Kelly, this is a must for the romantic sofa.

Now, this writer is a bit bemused by the next choice on a lot of people’s lists. The great animation studio Pixar last year released WALL·E and although no one would doubt it’s a great movie, is it truly a romantic film? Maybe cute, but not really up there with the likes of Casablanca.

Now Frank Capra’s 1946 It’s Wonderful Life is surely up there, as well as the 2001 Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Le, or as it’s known, Amélie.

Brief Encounter (1945) of course, Leon (1994), yes maybe, and Some Like it Hot (1959), definitely.

Now, Love Story (1970), might be sited as some people’s most romantic movie and if you need a laugh, watch it. Unfortunately time has not been kind to it and now it seems more painful than tear-jerking.

And finally, how about the 1977 Annie Hall, one of Woody Allen’s best ever movies?

On people’s most unromantic films list, even though they are marketing within that bracket, come Flirting With Anthony (2005), or from the same year, Let Us Go and Burn Her Body (perhaps the clue is in the title) and last year’s some would say dismal The Hattie and the Nottie (oh dear).

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