If you’ve hidden behind the sofa and covered your eyes with your hands in the vain hope that Valentine’s Day might magically disappear then you are heading for a world of pain.

You might think that Valentine’s Day is a lot of commercially provoked, schmaltzy nonsense designed to boost card sales at an otherwise flat time of blah blah blah…

Of course, you are entitled to your view but the fact still stands that if you haven’t fixed something nice for next Tuesday then it’s odds on that your partner will be reading up on body disposal techniques long before you have noticed that he/she is looking rather frosty.

Fortunately, the 5pm blog has just slipped on its Agony Aunt cardie and is ready to dispense sage advice.

A) Check out our Valentine’s Big Deal offers. From quad biking sessions via romantic overnight breaks to glamorous hairdressing packages at top salons, we have a wide range of Big Deals which would make great Valentine gifts.

B) Book a meal. Ideally, this should be at your favourite restaurant. You know, the one where you had your first date/proposed/announced that your parole request had been successful.

You probably won’t get a table because it’s Valentine’s Day and most places have been booked up for yonks.

Phoning around trying to find a free table on Valentine’s Day will be dispiriting because, most of the time, you request will be met by the laughter of a restaurant manager looking at a full reservations book.

However, there is an easy way to do this. Click here to go to the front page of the 5pm restaurant booking site. In the right hand corner of the screen is a booking form.

Type in your home town and put the 14th of Feb in; request a table for two and, if you are feeling lucky, narrow the search down to the type of cuisine you would prefer.

The search engine will come back with a list of restaurants in your area that have a table for two on the night. Using the site, you can browse their menus and book your table.

Alternatively, check out all of 5pm’s Valentine’s dining offers from here.

5pm: saving money and relationships since the year 2000.