On Friday night myself and chef Kevin Powell hosted a dinner event for 20 people in his sitting room in Dublin city centre! Our inspiration for the meal came from an immense amount of Wikipedia & Google research on the history and folk traditions of Valentine's Day. We also wanted to create an alternative way of celebrating the holiday.

Instead of setting up loads of tables for each couple, we served drinks and each course on one great big table and made everyone sit in a circle, forcing them to mingle and converse as a group. We wanted everything to be interactive, from the way the food was served to the decorations - origami hearts & birds as well as delicate paper Valentines from the 1920's - which I encouraged our diners to take home with them. 

Our food for the evening was all fresh, local and purchased from the Temple Bar Farmers Market. Kevin walked us through eat ingredient of each course and told us about the farmers and suppliers behind our amazing meal. We got to hear the history behind many of these Irish businesses and the great things their doing with their foods today. Kevin also invited anyone who wanted to come pop their heads in the kitchen and watch him cook. Local wine sellers, Mitchell and Son, helped us pair our food with some beautiful red and white wines, which may or may not have all been drank before the main course!

At the end of the night, guests were treated to their choice of goodie bags full of sex toys or Sex Siopa gift certificates, which I hand-made after researching Victorian pop-up and collage Valentines from the turn of the century. 

Below are some of the photos from the evening along. Hopefully we'll see you at the next one. If you'd like to sign up to the Sex Siopa newsletter at the bottom of this page, we'll keep you informed on any upcoming events. You can also stay up-to-date with Kevin's events on his site, Gruel Guerrilla.

My Victorian-inspired gift certificates

Tortelini starters

2nd course: Parsnip tempura

Main course: Goat tartare on rye toast with mini popcorn

Dessert: chocolate cakes with mini lavender meringues