Say it with flowers.

There are many ways to say I love you. But the best I've come up with so far this year is with flowers. Flowers made out of candied bacon. Bacon roses if you want to be technical.

Mmmmm bacon.

So, for this you will require:

• Bacon (duh) streaky thin strips x 12
• 50g soft brown sugar
• 1 tsp paprika
• toothpicks
• wooden skewers
• lettuce and sage to garnish
• Some fancy tissue paper to wrap your bouquet in.

Mix the sugar and paprika together on a plate. Take a strip of bacon and rub in the sugar mix, so both sides are lightly coated. Roll the bacon strip up into a rose bud shape and secure with two toothpicks pushed through the bacon in a cross shape.

These toothpicks are used to balance the rose over the well of a cupcake baking tray. When you've rolled up all 12 bake in the oven at 160c for 35-45 minutes.

 

When the roses are out of the oven, leave them to cool.  Take the cold rose heads and spear them on the wooden skewers to make 'stems'.

Bunch all 12 of your roses together, semi artistically wrap in lettuce and tissue paper to create your bouquet.

   

Then, give the roses to the boy you're enamoured with. Works much better than any other sort of flower.

Apart, potentially, from a lily, a gerbera and a carnation.  Which according to Cryptofloricon means an evil laugh.