Going out to restaurants and bars, jetting off for the weekend or even a city break might be currently out of the equation until lockdown ends - but that does not mean you make the day special.

Whether it is a romantic walk, watching a film or spending it with your friends - it is the perfect time to show you care.

Here are five fun ideas for the day

Go a romantic walk

We have all became walking experts during lockdown, but this Valentine's Day why not try a different route.

It sounds simple, but doing something different might make it feel extra special for the day.

Besides, if you are lucky you might even catch some sunshine while out in the snow.

A bake-off

Nothing screams romance like a home-cooked meal made with love and attention.

However, you can always cook a nice meal for that special person in your life - so why not take a turn at baking?

You can do this together or compete against each other as you put your culinary expertise to the test.

Who knows, you might even find a special talent - The Great British Bake Off 2021, anyone? 

Wine/cheese tasting

If you want to do something different then you can always create your own cheese board and wine tasting.

The current lockdown rules mean that we cannot head to a bar or restaurant, so why not head to your local supermarket and do it yourself!

Splash out on some non-discounted wine and treat yourself to a plethora of cheese - you won't regret it. 

Home Spa

We all love a spa day.

The feeling of walking about in your dressing gown as the tranquil heat takes over. The moment you first step foot into the warm water. Lying back with cucumbers on your eyes getting a massage.

It is bliss.

But it can also be replicated at home. Treat your loved one to an evening of massages, treatments and a warm candlelit bath for a night of romance. 

Meeting outside

You can only meet people from another household outdoors and in indoor public spaces for certain reasons, such as for work, to join your extended household, for sport, exercise, or to provide care and support for a vulnerable person.

This can include providing emotional support for someone whose wellbeing is at risk, including for those who are isolated because of disability or a caring situation. 

A maximum of two people, aged 12 and over, can meet outdoors for a permitted purpose if they are not from the same household.

Children under 12 do not count towards households or numbers when meeting outside.

Children under 12 do not need to maintain physical distance from others indoors or outdoors.

The members of an individual or extended household can meet outdoors for sport, exercise or social interaction.

It is against the law to consume alcohol in any outdoors public place in any Level 4 area.

What is an extended household?

An extended household is a support network which joins two households.

You have to meet certain criteria to form an extended household. This means not everyone can form one.

Once you’re in an extended household, you can think of yourself as being in one ‘household’. This means you can treat the other household in your extended household as part of your own household.

You can travel to visit members of your extended household even if there are travel restrictions in place for your area and you can visit and stay in each other’s houses.

Who can make an extended household?

You can form an extended household with another household of any size if you:

• live by yourself
• are a single parent
• are part of a couple who lives apart – including any children you each live with

You must not form an extended household with more than one other household.

What if I share custody of a child with someone I do not live with?

If you share custody of a child with someone you do not live with, the child can move freely between both parents’ households. You do not need to form an extended household to do this

Things to think about before forming an extended household:

Forming an extended household is an important decision that should be properly discussed and agreed beforehand.

All the adults living in both households should agree to form the extended household. You should also try to involve children in these discussions.

What if someone develops Covid symptoms or tests positive?

If anyone in your extended household develops symptoms of coronavirus all members must isolate immediately if they were in close contact with the symptomatic person between two and 10 days after their symptoms started.

If the person with symptoms tests negative, and nobody else in the household is experiencing symptoms or has been advised they need to isolate having been in close contact with a positive case, they no longer need to self-isolate.

If they test positive:

• all members of the person’s direct household (people they live with) must isolate for 10 days from the start of symptoms
• If a member of the household who wasn’t symptomatic develops symptoms, the self-isolation period starts again from the first day the newly-symptomatic person experienced symptoms
• any extended household members must isolate for 10 days from when the most recent contact took place

Changing or ending an extended household

Extended households can end the arrangement at any time, but you should not form an extended household with a new household for at least 14 days.