Chocolate and whisky fudge by Calum Montgomery.

Impress this Valentine’s Day with edible gifts

28 Jan 2026

Journalist

Show you care this 14 February with edible (and drinkable) gift ideas from the UK’s best chefs and sommeliers

Struggling to choose the perfect gift this Valentine’s Day? Reticent to surprise (or not) your loved one with the same old tired bunch of flowers, shop-bought chocolates or yet more toiletries?

Fear not: we reached out to the UK’s best chefs and sommeliers to get their tips for how to impress with a thoughtful homemade edible (or drinkable) gift this Valentine’s Day, from rich fudges to chewy biscuits to boozy cocktails. If your loved one has a sweet tooth, they’re going to love these unique gift ideas.

Discover the full recipes below.

Calum Montgomery, Edinbane Lodge

For Valentine’s Day, I would make a really simple dark chocolate fudge (pictured top) using single malt whisky. It’s easy to make, lasts for ages and feels properly indulgent. I was given the recipe years ago by the private chef to the Rolling Stones and was told it was Mick Jagger’s favourite treat.

To make one large tray, heat 450g of glucose and 450g of sugar to 121°C. Add 260ml of double cream, bring back to temperature, remove from the heat and add 45g of soft butter, then 340g of dark chocolate and 75ml of whisky. Pour into a greased flat tray with sides and leave to set at room temperature for around one hour. Cut into neat squares and finish with a light sprinkle of sea salt for a savoury edge.

Read Montgomery's guide to the Isle of Skye

Ryan Chetiyawardana, Lyaness

A blood orange shrub is an amazing aperitif: it’s complex and alluring in a sophisticated way. This recipe will make 15-20 serves, but can be used with soda water as a non alc. too.

Zest 3 blood oranges (keep the fruit) and infuse the peels in 200ml of cider vinegar for 3 days. Strain, and add the vinegar to a pan with 200g of sugar and cook over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes until reduced by half. Meanwhile, juice and strain the skinned fruit. Once the vinegar has cooled, stir in the strained juice, bottle and keep chilled. This will last 3 weeks in the fridge. To make a cocktail, stir 15ml of the shrub with 25ml of rooibos-infused gin over ice, strain into a flute, then top with Champagne (ideally rosé).

_{Photo by Jennifer Chase}

Ryan Chetiyawardana holding a drink at a bar table.

Jamie Pickles, Stow

Pistachio shortbread is super simple and so lovely; it’s something I make for my wife Rebecca and me to have a cuppa with.

For eight biscuits, start by blitzing 120g of pistachio kernels into rough little pieces in a food processor. Then add 270g of plain flour, 100g of caster sugar, 225g of unsalted butter and 1/2 a tablespoon of sea salt and blitz until the mixture forms a crumble-like consistency. Tip out onto the counter and work the mixture together into a dough without kneading it (so as not to build up any gluten and keep the biscuit ‘short’). Using cling film, form the dough into a log, roughly 2 inches in diameter and roll tightly in cling film. Slice the biscuits 1cm thick and lay them on a baking tray with good space in between them and dust lightly with sugar. Bake at 160°C for 16 minutes. Put the kettle on, make a brew and enjoy

Chef Jamie Pickles smiling outside Stow.

Matty Grove, Caper & Cure

Madeleines are the perfect little gift for any occasion. Freshly baked and eaten within the hour, I don’t think there’s much that can match that. With the addition of white chocolate and raspberry, they feel very appropriate for Valentine's Day.

This recipe yields around 10-12, depending on the mould. Whisk 2 eggs with 80g of caster sugar, 1/2 tsp of vanilla and a pinch of salt, until light and fluffy. Gently fold in 100g of plain flour and 1 tsp baking powder, then stream in 100g of melted, cooled unsalted butter. Chill the batter for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight. Butter and flour a madeleine tray and pipe the batter into the moulds (about 2/3), then bake at 180°C (160°C fan) for 10–12 minutes until just golden. When cooled and removed from the mould, dip the shell side in melted white chocolate and finish with a dusting of freeze-dried raspberry.

Chef Matty Grove smiling at a restaurant table.

Alice Bussi, Hide & Fox

Cosmic Love is a delicate home-infused blueberry vodka with kumquat liqueur, rose water, cranberry juice and lime. To infuse: combine 300g of blueberries with one litre of plain vodka in a sterilised Kilner jar. Leave for 5-7 days before draining and bottling (save the macerated blueberries to make into a compote or dessert).

To make, combine 45ml of blueberry vodka, 15ml of kumquat/mandarin/orange liqueur, 10ml of rose water, 50ml of cranberry juice and 25ml of fresh lime in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake hard for 30 seconds. Strain into a frozen martini glass and serve immediately. As an extra touch of decoration for Valentine’s, make candied rose petals by brushing organic, chemical-free rose petals with egg white, before sprinkling with caster sugar and leaving on a parchment sheet overnight to dry.

_{Credit: Saltwick Media}

Alice Bussi with her arms folded outside a restaurant.

Joe Otway, Higher Ground

This simple recipe for cane sugar fudge is perfect for a little cheap gift where the extra effort goes a long way. Individually wrapped it makes lots of sweets so you can fill a box easily or it can be cut into a bar or any other shape you wish.

To make it, combine 300ml of double cream, 100g of milk, 100g of butter, 300g of caster sugar, 300g of granulated cane sugar (demerara is fine as an alternative) and 5g of vanilla. Boil to 116°C, turn off the heat and continue to whisk until it becomes thick and light. Pour out and set into a square tray and leave to cool at room temperature. Cut into 2cm squares and wrap in 5cm square pieces of greaseproof paper.

Chef Joe Otway in a black bomber jacket.

Tarryn Bingle, The Salusbury

Amaretti biscuits are a perfect Valentine’s Day gift. My top tip is to make the biscuit mix the night before and rest it overnight if you have time.

To make 20 biscuits, whisk 2 egg whites until foamy, then add 250g of ground almonds, 175g of sugar, 12g of vanilla sugar, ¼ teaspoon of almond essence and 1 small teaspoon of honey. Rest the mixture for an hour in the fridge (or overnight), and then roll the mixture into approximately 30g balls. Place these into a tub of icing sugar and roll them around until nicely coated. Ideally, leave them in the icing sugar for at least 1 hour – this will help give them a nice cracked crust. Place evenly on a baking tray lined with baking paper and pinch the top of each biscuit to create the shape. Put into a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 15-20 mins. If they feel soft when taking out of the oven don't worry, they will firm up as they cool – you want them nice and chewy.

Chef Tarryn Bingle, seated, in an apron and chef whites.

Sam Lomas, Briar

I can think of worse ways to spend Valentine’s Day than a long, frosty walk with a flask of tea and a box of these wintry rhubarb cookies. The trick with these is to add the rhubarb to the cookie raw, allowing it to cook quickly in the oven, softening while retaining some of its vibrancy.

To make 18-20 cookies, preheat the oven to 160°C, then beat together 150g of softened, salted butter with 150g of caster sugar in a mixing bowl until soft and creamy. Then beat in one egg, followed by 200g of self-raising flour and 50g of rolled oats to form a soft dough. Divide this mixture into approximately 30g pieces. Place another 50g of rolled oats in a small bowl. Use damp hands to roll the cookies into balls, dip them in the oats and place on lined baking trays. Grab 150g of rhubarb jam, and 2 sticks of forced rhubarb, cut into 2cm lengths and lightly dusted in caster sugar. Use your thumb to form an indentation in each cookie, add a little dollop of rhubarb jam and a chunk of raw rhubarb on top of that. Bake the cookies for 15 minutes or until they are a pale golden colour. Cool slightly on a wire rack before tucking in.

_{Photo by Matt Austin}