Don’t Be a Stupid Cupid Thanks to our Valentine’s Day Tips

Fall head over heels for food 

The Tees Valley food scene has it all, from intimate meals to a spot of afternoon tea so find the way to their heart with these fab foodie options.

GoonDocks Restaurant and Bar in Saltburn has a special menu for all ages. Students in Y7 to Y11 can enjoy a Young Love Sharing Tray for just £20 between 4pm and 5.30pm on the day, including hot dogs, sliders, mocktails and chocolate. If your love has lasted a little longer, adults can grab a second special menu including burgers, truffle mac and cheese, chocolate fondue and Prosecco for just £50 per couple.

There’s two days of celebrations at Pinchinthorpe Hall, Guisborough, with a special Valentine’s Day menu in place on both Saturday 12 February and Monday 14 February. Book a table for £35 per person or book a private dining room for the ultimate romantic experience!

If it’s fine dining you’re after, both of Rockliffe Hall’s restaurants are going all-out to help you celebrate, with a three-course menu in The Clubhouse for £98 per couple, or an exquisite six-course tasting menu and Champagne for £180 in the 3AA Rosette Orangery.

Hurworth’s Bay Horse will also leave you head over heels with its extensive special menu with choices including Whitby Crab, souffle, beef Wellington, stone bass and much more. Running from 5.30pm to 9pm, it’s great value at £60 per person.

Brockley Hall Hotel in Saltburn is offering discounted rates for overnight stays on 13 and 14 of February if you want to really make the most of the celebrations. This is on top of a tempting seven-course tasting menu, running 12-14 February, at £150 per person.

If you’re swearing off full meals out after the Christmas indulgence, you can still have something delicious with North Shire’s five-star Champagne afternoon tea. On Sunday 13 February, you can relax in its enchanted barn with fizz on arrival, afternoon tea and live music for £35 a head.

Get a date in the diary

If you’re after something a bit more action-packed or memorable than wining and dining, why not think outside of the box with these alternative date ideas. Single? These can just as easily be enjoyed with friends if you’re swearing off St Valentine for 2022.

Get wet and wild with your partner with a spot of surfing at Saltburn. Both Flow Surf School and Saltburn Surf School offer lessons for beginners to make sure the date isn’t a total wipeout!

You’ll be stood up if you try one of the experiences at Hartlepool’s On Water Training – but only on your paddle board. Stand-up paddle boarding is becoming increasingly popular, so whether you’re a thrill seeker or first timer, On Water Training will give you a helping hand.

Prefer to test your mind rather than your muscle? Get locked in to one of three exciting escape rooms at Project Escape, Middlesbrough, and work together to get out. Will you escape in time and, more importantly, will your relationship survive as you bicker over the answers to the many riddles?

After that, you might need to kiss and make-up, and where better to do it than Darlington’s four-star Blackwell Grange Hotel. It is offering one-night breaks for two, priced at £169, and including a complementary cocktail, three-course meal and bottle of Prosecco. These are available from 11 to 20 February, so there’s plenty of choice!

Get hot and steamy over some top-quality coffee with Seahorse Coffee House’s Barista Experience for Two. A 90-minute private session will give you hands-on experience of brewing, steaming milk and latte art, trying a few different types of coffee in the process – only £49 per couple.

Spoil them with something from the Tees Valley

We have some excellent food and drink producers and sourcers across the region, so if you’re looking to get to your beloved’s heart through their stomach, why not try one of these great gifts?

Enjoy the delicious cocktails of The Nuthatch at home, with its Valentine’s Day gift set. For £25, you get a hand-blown Nuthatch bird glass, a 5cl bottle of Edinburgh Raspberry Gin Liqueur, a 5cl bottle of Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur and instructions on how to replicate their cocktail at home.

New vegan bakery Maple & Dough in Guisborough can post sweets to your sweet if they’re continuing their Veganuary adventure or are plant-based all year round. It’s delicious stuffed cookies are enough to win anyone over.

For the more traditional among you, Chocolini’s specialty chocolate shop in Saltburn has a huge variety of flavours to suit anyone’s tastes. A box of these and a bunch of roses and you won’t be going far wrong this year!

Finally, if you and sweetheart are coming out of Dry January with a fuller wallet and want to spend cash on the finer things, Fourteen Drops in Yarm offers a fantastic range of wines and gift hampers that’ll you’ll adore.

Don’t forget to use #EnjoyTeesValley when sharing your Valentine’s Day celebrations on social media!