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Everything you need for a Romantic Home Date Night

My fiancé (Brody) and I, used to LOVE going out for date nights.

For the first three and a half years of our relationship, we lived an hour apart, so it was really important to us to make the most of the time that we did have together. Every so often, we would book a night or two at a nice hotel in Edmonton, get all gussied up, and pick out some fancy restaurants to try.

But the Covid-19 Pandemic brought all of that to a grinding halt. On the upside, however, we moved in together right as everything was shutting down, so we just decided to move our date nights to our living room!

We now have a new tradition, nearly every week, of either ordering from a great restaurant or putting together our own wine, cheese and charcuterie night!

Since Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, I want to recommend this to all the couples out there who aren’t quite sure what to do with themselves this year (or, frankly, any night that you decided you want to have a date night!)

So I’ve compiled this list of all the essentials you need to have an amazing wine-themed date night. All of the pictures below are Amazon links (Canadian!) so you can order whatever you might be missing just in time for Valentine’s Day 🙂

Charcuterie Boards

First and foremost, you’ve got to have something to lay out all of your cheeses, bread, and charcuterie on. Some people like to squish it all together onto one board, but I love to spread things out a bit so it’s easier to manoeuvre, and I can fit more food!

The great thing about charcuterie boards is that there are so many beautiful and fun different styles that it’s very easy to keep adding to your collection.

A tip I’d like to offer you for the *aesthetics*, is this: choose charcuterie boards that contrast the material of the surface you usually set them on. For example, I used to have a glass table, so I bought a lot of wooden boards, because I worried about the hardness of slate or marble boards scratching up the glass. But now I have a wooden table, and they just don’t pop as nicely anymore! So now I’ve picked up some slate and marble boards, and might also look for a funky resin one!

Here are some that I find really beautiful and think would make great additions:

You can’t go wrong with a basic long board, but I love the funky handle on this one that really sets it apart.

This circular one is great because it’s got a rim around it to keep all your delicious treats from sliding off the edge.

This little fella is just so adorable! And it can double as a cutesy Valentine’s Day gift, in a shape that your sweetheart probably doesn’t have yet.

This one is a great idea if you want to really level up your gift-giving game – A customized charcuterie board to really wow your honey, as well as all of your future guests.

I have found that slate can be a little trickier to pick up when it’s loaded up with food, so I really love these two options with handles.

This circular option also stands out, since most are available in plain rectangles. I love mixing up the shapes to give the display some visual punch.

Handles are a great idea for marble boards as well as they can be a bit heavy, so this one is super practical.

And finally, this one adds a fun touch of glam that I can totally get behind!

Charcuterie

Now it’s time to hit the grocery store and fill those platters up!

I love a bit of variety, but remember, there’s only two of you! Sometimes my eyes get a little bigger than my stomach and we end up with days worth of leftovers (which, you know, isn’t always a bad thing…). But let’s assume you have more self control than I do and start off with a *reasonable* amount.

I also recommend going to a specialty shop if there’s one in your neighbourhood, but have to admit that most of the time, I’m just hitting up my local grocery store.

Because I’m a big fan of *easy and simple*, my go-to for charcuterie is one mix pack of thin-sliced italian charcuterie meats, and one thicker cut option.

It depends what is available, but I will usually pick a mix pack that includes prosciutto, coppa di parma, and genoa salami. Then I’ll pick up a bit of thick chorizo for texture variety (plus Brody loves a bit of spice).

But play with your options! If you decide to make this a semi-regular thing, aim to try sometimes new each time and have fun experimenting!

Cheese

While we are still at the grocery store, let’s talk about cheese. I like to pick at least one firm and one soft option.

We are still working on finding a hard cheese that we both like, but my top suggestion is an aged cheddar. Brody preferred some pecorino romano last time. And for our Valentine’s Day date night, we will be trying a gouda.

For soft cheese, we are both big brie fanatics, but every once in a while I like to sub in a camembert to mix things up. If you haven’t tried it yet, this would be a great opportunity!

If you want something even soft, a goat cheese makes a great spreadable option, and you can get lots of different added flavours as well.

Feeling adventurous? Go for blue cheese! I don’t get it often because Brody isn’t a big fan, but I LOVE IT for a little bit more funkiness.

Cheese Knives

Next, you’ve need something to cut your assortment of cheeses with. Could you use any old knife? Sure, but, this is a special occasion remember? Plus, having a different knife for each cheese (and specific to each type of cheese), makes it easier to not cross-contaminate. Heaven forbid someone get blue cheese all over the aged cheddar!

I’ve probably accumulated three different sets of cheese knives over the years because there are so many options and they are such a cute gift idea. Here are a few of my favourites: