How is sugar used for Valentine’s Day?

When looking for a way to put a smile on the face of a significant other, family or friend, it’s often something sweet. This Valentine’s Day will see the UK consume thousands of tonnes of sugar in sweets, chocolate and desserts. Below, we outline the role this plays in the food and drinks associated with February 14^th.

Love hearts have come to be one of, if not the main, symbol of Valentine’s Day. One of the favourite treats at this time of year, aside from sweets and chocolate, are heart shaped biscuits. Using soft brown light sugar in these biscuits gives them a light colour, a sweet taste and a soft bite, rather than a crunch.

These are made by rolling out the biscuit dough and then cutting to the desired shape. Soft brown light sugar, rather than a muscovado sugar, allows the baker to see when the biscuit is cooked perfectly, while maintaining that golden quality.

If you’re making a special cocktail for your partner on Valentine’s Day, you’re going to need golden granulated sugar. 

Steak is one of the most popular Valentine’s dishes, seen as a special meal for a special day. Something that can really set a steak apart is the sauce, and this recipe ticks all the boxes with a thick texture and rich flavour, perfect for a restaurant special or packaged as a luxury cook-at-home sauce.

A mixture of wine and shallots give this sauce a sophisticated flavour with the different elements tied together with melted brown cane sugar, which adds a strong flavour and thicker texture than a lighter sugar. Flavoured with bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper, this should then be poured over steaks, preferably with vegetables and chunky chips.

Valentine’s dinner isn’t complete without a delectable dessert for two. This rich and luxurious chocolate pudding, set off by the malted cream, will leave everyone happy. It makes the perfect finale to a Valentine’s set menu in a restaurant, or as an easy, refrigerated pudding set.

The dark muscovado sugar in the cream allows it to be whisked, rather than being weighed down by a larger grain size. Serve the pudding hot and the cream cold, with cherries and pistachios.

When thinking about Valentine’s colours, the first ones that come to mind are red and pink, so we’ve found a celebratory cocktail to match that colour scheme, as well as a more classic, sophisticated drink. Whether sold pre-mixed in supermarkets for a night in, or created at the bar from fresh ingredients, these will set off the evening.

Non-alcoholic raspberry mojito: A tongue-tingling red cocktail that can be enjoyed by everyone. This starts with a simple syrup made by dissolving golden granulated sugar into water over a low heat. This is then mixed with raspberry juice, lime juice and soda water. Best served over ice, fresh raspberries and finished with mint leaves.

Old fashioned: Nothing says sophisticated like an old fashioned: whiskey, bitters and dissolved brown cane sugar. Finish it will a curl of orange peel for an extra garnish.

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