It's that time of year again when sweethearts manifest their affection in the form of cards, chocolates, flowers or maybe even diamonds.

But it's to heck with Valentine's Day tradition in the case of the West Cornwall Pasty Co which is hoping customers will say it with a pasty instead. Not just any old pasty either.

Available from 9th February for a limited time, the company's Pasty to Share is a heart-shaped steak pasty filled with beef, potato, swede and onion, lovingly finished off with a pastry heart in the centre and designed to be halved and enjoyed by two people.

While admitting it may not be the most obvious romantic gesture, chief executive Richard Nieto says it's certainly a tasty and unique one.

Well he has a point. Isn't there a saying, "the way to a man's heart..."?

Okay so it's not quite Avatar but the new Virtual Farmers' Market is an innovative way to source artisan producers.

It uses 3D games technology to allow you to stroll around over 45 market stalls to view and buy the sort of artisan produce you might find in a real-life farmers market such as Label Anglais chicken and Cornish Blue cheese.

There's also a 'meet the producer' element via a video stream where the producer gives a brief description of the goods, tells the story of how their food or drink has been produced, what ingredients have been used and where they have been sourced. 

Best of all, it's available 24/7 so you don't have to remember which day is market day.

They may not be contraband or overdue library books, but any licensees harbouring old Carlsberg fonts have until the end of March to hand them in and receive new ones without charge.

Carlsberg UK (CUK) has announced a Font Amnesty to encourage licensees to trade up to its Superhero font which was launched into the on-trade two years ago and is claimed to help create a creamier, tastier looking head and lead to less wastage of beer.

In fact CUK research indicates that pubs using the new fonts had nearly a 10% higher rate of sale than in those with Lowlines and T-Bar fonts.

"We are incredibly proud of our beer quality and want drinkers to enjoy a perfect pint of Carlsberg every time they order it," said David Scott, director of customer marketing. "So we are continuing to invest in the on-trade and quality by funding the font amnesty.

Stockists who want to replace their old Carlsberg font for free should call 0845 601 3432.

If you're one of the hundreds returning to work in the big smoke today after an enforced snow break then you may be in need of something warm and comforting at the end of your probably arduous journey.

Thank goodness then, that Heinz has chosen this very week to operate the It Has To Be Heinz Café at 3-10 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 where beans on toast will be served up today until 6pm and on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 7am to 3pm.

The café is right on trend with the recent phenomenon of pop-up restaurants and the popularity of comfort food and, even more important in these recession-blighted times, the dish costs merely a suggested 50p donation towards Capital FM's Help A London Child charity.

Mövenpick Cognac VSOP ice cream recently picked up a 2009 Caterer and Hotelkeeper Excellence in Food & Drink Award.

Now the ice cream gurus are suggesting operators put it on their drinks or dessert menu as a Café Affogato.

An affogato, which in Italian means drowned, is usually a scoop of vanilla ice cream or gelato topped with a shot of hot espresso.

However Mövenpick managing director Mike Godwin says the alcohol-infused ice cream will give it an extra kick.

We've had Pimp My Ride, now it's time to Punk Your Beer courtesy of BrewDog. The two-year-old beer company has launched PunkDog.com where you can customise BrewDog beer bottle labels by adding photographs and text.

Product Junkie hasn't tried it yet but it sounds quite straightforward - choose a background theme, upload your own image and add a personalised message. Then order your beers.

BrewDog's range includes Punk IPA - a heavyweight beer with a fruity punch followed by an aggressive, hoppy bite; Trashy Blonde - a refreshing blonde beer with a strong passionfruit flavour; and the new 77 Lager - a continental style pilsner balancing caramel and malt with fruity flavours.

What's more, BrewDog also recently launched Equity for Punks - an online equity scheme that allows customers to buy shares in the brand for £230 and receive a lifetime discount of 20% off beers purchased from BrewDog.com plus annual dividends and an invite to the annual AGM.

Well, that's Product Junkie's Christmas shopping sorted.

"Born sinner, the opposite of a winner; remember when I used to eat sardines for dinner." So rapped Notorious B.I.G on Juicy.

Product Junkie wonders if he'd cottoned on to the fact that sardines are an oily fish rich in Omega-3 and packed with Vitamin D and as such would qualify as one of his recommended two portions of fish a week? No, maybe not.

But that, together with the value for money they represent, could well be the reason for a 7% increase to £34 million (Source: Nielsen) in UK consumer spend on fresh sardines in the past 12 months according to Seafish, the authority on seafood.

Karen Galloway, Seafish market insight manager, said: "The popularity of fresh sardines is growing as the quality is high and their sustainability record is impeccable."

In the UK, the majority of sardines are caught by small boats that head out at dusk from an ancient fishery off the Cornish coast accredited as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council.

Previously known as pilchards, the fish were re-branded as Cornish sardines in 1997 although technically the difference is in the size - a sardine is smaller than six inches.

Sounds much better on a menu too.

The Mypressi Twist has to be the smallest, and strangest, espresso machine Product Junkie has ever seen.

Measuring just 27cms long, 9cm wide and 9cm high, it's manufactured in America and earlier this year won the Best New Product award for 2009/2010 from the Speciality Coffee Association of America.

The handheld espresso maker is a pneumatically-enhanced system that delivers a minimum 135 psi (pounds per square inch) or nine bars of pressure throughout the duration of the 20- to 30-second extraction to produce one double or two single espressos.

It is powered by an N20 pressurised air cartridge (typically used for whipped cream and soda water) within its handle, each sufficient for eight single espresso shots.

Available in the UK from Cream Supplies, the Twist requires no external power source and can be used virtually anywhere including hotel rooms, in kitchens, behind the bar or even outdoors. All that's needed is some ground coffee or standard ESE coffee pods and hot water.

It's an espresso machine, but not as we know it.

If you found the object pictured left in a hotel mini bar would you a) try to unscrew the top so you can use it to fill in your breakfast menu door hanger; b) try to unscrew the top to apply to your eyelashes; or c) put it between your lips and inhale deeply for a nicotine hit?

If you answered 'c', well done. It is in fact one of a breed of electronic cigarettes which neatly dodge the smoking ban and are rumoured to have found favour with numerous celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Rhys Ifans and Sarah Harding. They've been cropping up in US hotel mini bars and are now being marketed at the UK's hotel industry.

This particular model is the SmokeStik Royale, designed by former It Girl Lady Victoria Hervey and featuring her family crest. It is battery operated and uses replaceable cartridges to give smokers a nicotine hit without the smoke or tar.

SmokeStik's mini-bar programme supplies a hotel with one unit for every room which they make available for use free of charge with the guest just paying for the cartridges.

If the guest wishes to keep the cigarette when they check out, it is charged to their bill. Alternatively, they may smuggle it out in their case along with a bathrobe and hairdryer.

London's South Bank may fall something short of La Croisette when it comes to style, glamour and sunshine but we shouldn't let that spoil our enjoyment of the BFI 53rd London Film Festival which runs from 14 to 29 October 2009.

Determined to make it a glitzy affair are Park Plaza Hotels where homage will be paid to the stars of the silver screen by way of a themed cocktail menu.

First up, there's the Soderbergh Sour in honour of the renowned Ocean's Eleven director, Steven Soderbergh. It's a smooth blend of pisco, lime juice, sugar and a dash of Angostura, gently shaken and served on ice.

Next, named after the Groundhog Day actor Bill Murray, the Bloody Murray is a variation of a popular classic with tequila, tomato juice and Tabasco blended with a dash of Angostura and topped with port wine. Park Plaza Hotels are expecting a high level of repeat orders for this particular concoction.