VALENTINE'S Day is approaching, when loved-up couples across the land exchange cards and give red roses, chocolates and fluffy red teddies.

Do you make the effort to spend a bit of quality time with each other to mark the day, or maybe as in my case, pretend it isn't happening!

One year, I failed to make any romantic effort whatsoever, declaring that it had all become far too materialistic and it was just a cynical way for businesses to make more money.

I very politely explained to my wife that I had forgotten, and was invited to sleep in the garden shed.

I have no strong feelings either way about it when it comes to other people, and believe that couples should be free to choose whether or not to celebrate it.

We all have busy lives which means we don't have much time purely for ourselves for the rest of the year, so Valentine's Day gives us a rare opportunity to have that bit of time just for us. It also means you could be on the receiving end of flowers, bubbly and chocolate!

I can understand that if you are naturally a romantic sort, and spoil your other half all year round anyway, you may think it is a bit pointless. But sometimes in long-term relationships, the romance seeps away over time and can even vanish altogether. Some of us might need a bit of a prod to spoil our partner.

Does the young generation buy a Valentine card today? Probably not, as young people would not bother sending a card when they can communicate online all the time.

In my day, if I sent a card to a girl, only a small circle might ever find out – there was no instant messaging to hundreds of online friends back then, only a winking postman! So the tradition of sending an anonymous card to someone you have an eye on has pretty much died out. I think it's a shame, especially as it was a Valentine card that brought my parents together and me and my wife – back then we would go to extreme lengths to secure a love! But it's true to say it secured both long and happy marriages. And even if I've forgotten a few Valentine cards, my wife is more than happy to buy a new coat!

RECIPE

VALENTINE SELF-SAUCING CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Ingredients:

Topping:

175g/6oz brown sugar

30g/1oz cocoa powder

310ml/11fl oz boiling water from the kettle

Batter

150g/5oz plain flour, sift

2 teaspoons baking powder

110g/4oz caster sugar

30g/1oz cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

125ml/4fl oz milk

50g/2oz melted butter

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan/Gas Mark 3 and grease a 1.5 litre ovenware dish or similar container.

2. Mix the brown sugar and cocoa powder together in a small bowl and set aside.

3. Add to a large mixing bowl the flour, baking powder, caster sugar, cocoa powder and salt.

4. In a jug, whisk together the melted butter, milk, egg and vanilla essence and pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and combine well with a wooden spoon.

5. Spread the batter evenly into the dish and sprinkle over the sugar and cocoa mixture shaking gently to spread evenly.

6. Carefully pour the hot water over the back of a tablespoon over the top of the pudding and bake for 30 minutes till crusty like a brownie.