In the movie 9 Weeks, Kim Bassinger and Mickey Rourke turned a midnight feast into one of the most erotic scenes ever to hit the big screen, writes HELEN PEACOCKE.

Haagen Dazs ice cream emulated the sensuous effect food can have in one of their TV adverts, leaving couples across the country with a sudden craving for something cold and sticky.

So this Valentine's Day, spice up your life with a meal that leaves more than just your tastebuds tingling.

Why present a meal thrown together from boxes, tins, jars and frozen blocks of commercially made products?

Why not take more care to produce meals for that special person in your life which can be seen as a token of love, rather than something that has just been bunged into the microwave.

Preparing a meal with love for the one you love should start with the product. The ingredients should be chosen with as much care as you would use to select perfume or a new garment, asking: Is it suitable? Will he or she like it? Is it the best of it's type that I can find?

Instead of simply throwing a few boxes into the shopping trolley, try walking right round the fruit and vegetable section to see what is on offer. The quality and availability of fresh products changes frequently, so your purchases should too.

Oriental cooks often caress lemons before cutting them - not just because this yields more juice, but because it's a way of displaying respect to the products about to be cooked.

Caressing fruits and vegetables may sound rather extreme, and perhaps it is, but taking trouble to find the right ingredients and turn them into a really tasty meal for the one you love isn't. It's often the best form of seduction, and not just because the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. You could be adding an ingredient that will help create sexual desire and stimulate the senses.

There was a time when young women would add certain ingredients to bread to attract a lover. The items they placed into the dough were mostly chosen because of their appearance - it was thought that the hidden virtue of a plant, fruit or animal was revealed through its shape.

This is why walnuts were once considered good for the brain. If you don't believe this, look at a picture of the human brain and see just how closely it corresponds to a piece of shelled walnut.

Foods considered to be sexual stimulants, and therefore food for one's love, included various bulbs and tubers, bananas, asparagus shoots, carrots and sausages, all of which the women thought resembled the male sex organ. Foods thought to stimulate the woman were artichokes, vanilla pods and oysters.

If you simply haven't got time to do any of these things and are forced to make a panic dash round the supermarket once a week in order to survive, then think of the way you present the meal. If you must buy ready-made foods, then serve them as if they are cordon bleu dishes. This can be done by taking particular care with the table decorations (and don't say "what decorations?").

If the table is covered with remnants of yesterday's meals, today's newspapers and a pile of unopened mail - clear it. Polish it and find a decoration from somewhere.

Ready -made dishes can be enhanced by adding a simple garnish and taking them out of the tin in which they were originally packed, though in the end, nothing will ever beat a meal cooked from scratch from raw ingredients - and with love.

If you just don't have time to cook, look out for Valentine's Day theme food, including Sainsbury's Italian Tomato and Cheese Pasta Hearts, Valentine's Chocolate and Orange Soup, and Tesco's Kiss-kind Garlic Baguette.

THE MAGIC OF A MANIC DAY

Last Valentine's Day, The Garden florists sold 2,500 red roses alone. Add hundreds of bouquets and other flowers and it's not hard to see why it's one of the busiest days of the year for partner Paul Birtles.

With two shops in Headington and the Covered Market, he will have five drivers delivering on Sunday to cope with demand.

"It's main rivals are Mother's Day and Christmas but in terms of one manic day, Valentine's Day wins hands down," he said.

"Most people don't order until a few days before so you never know how mad it'll be until you get there," he laughed.

Almost as many women as men order flowers and each year sees a rise in sales. The Really Good Card Company, in Osney Mead, produces 150,000 Valentine's Day cards alone, which are then distributed around the world.

But, by the time February approaches, the rush is over as the cards are designed in June, produced in July and distributed after Christmas.

Most restaurants are booked weeks in advance and often put on two sittings. And as it falls on a Sunday this year, demand for both lunch and supper places will be even more intense.

Steve Howling, at Pizza Express, said it was certainly one of the busiest times of year and extra staff were being brought in to help out.

For florists, restaurateurs and numerous other businesses around Oxfordshire, Valentine's Day is big business.

But if you don't want to say it with a card, flowers or a romantic meal, we have come up with some alternative ideas to help you pledge your love and woo the partner of your dreams.

Swatch has produced a Time For Love special Valentine's watch, retailing at £29.50, for all you 24-hour lovers.

Anyone still waiting to get their hands on Viagra could buy some herbal Damiana tablets to spice things up. The aphrodisiac costs £6.75 a packet and is available from health food shops and chemists.

Want to please your lady but don't want to go shopping? You can order a sexy hot pink nglige from the Choice catalogue for £17.99. Call 0500 923 923, quoting CTYAE.

Chocoholics will thank anyone who gives them this £2.99 Chocolate Lover's Kit available at Lloyds Chemists.

Tesco has gone love heart crazy with everything from bath mats to cuff-links at heart-warming prices.

Story date: Tuesday 09 February

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.