Whether you're spoken for, or single, there's nothing wrong with spoiling yourself or your loved one now and again. SAM GOUGH takes a look at some romantic dishes

Here's how to make a three course romantic dinner without breaking the bank.

The starter is just a matter of arranging ingredients, the main course is simplicity itself, and the dessert, I admit is a little more fiddly, but can easily be done the day before.

The smoked salmon trimmings for the main course can be bought cheaply in any supermarket and melons are plentiful and seasonal at this time of year.

Love Boats

1 cantaloupe melon 10 strawberries

More of an assembly than a recipe: slice the melon in half widthways and scoop out seeds with a spoon. Arrange strawberries artfully in the centre. Good with champagne.

Fusilli with smoked salmon, cream and white wine sauce.

1 pack fresh fusilli pasta 1 pack (approx 100g) smoked salmon trimmings 125ml carton single cream 250ml white wine

Boil the pasta for 7 mins (fresh pasta needs less cooking than dried). In a separate pan, boil the wine rapidly for three minutes - this burns off the alcohol but keeps the flavour - and add the cream and smoked salmon. Stirring well, allow to simmer gently for five minutes. Toss the drained, cooked pasta into the sauce and serve hot.

Chocolate cream hearts

For the hearts: 175g plain flour 3 tablespoons cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 50g butter 50g vegetable shortening 3 tablespoons castor sugar 1 egg Milk to bind

Combine all ingredients thoroughly to make a dough.

Add the egg and milk as you need it - you may not need it all to make pliable dough.

Refrigerate the dough for at least 20 minutes before rolling out and cutting into heart shapes. Bake at gas mark 4/180c for 15 minutes on greaseproof paper. Allow to cool and handle with care- they are delicate!

For the chocolate cream:

75g milk chocolate 2 tablespoons of very thick double cream (preferably spreading consistency)

Melt the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave, a couple of minutes on medium high should do it if it is broken into chunks.

When it has cooled but not hardened, stir in the cream until you have a gloopy chocolate mess. Use this to sandwich three biscuits together into a stack and spread the tops with cream. Allow to cool in the fridge before serving.