Warner Bros. Studio Tour is inviting wizards, mudbloogs and muggles alike to celebrate this year’s Valentines Day with a floating-candlelit meal for two in the Great Hall. The evening promises to welcome you with canapés and a vial of Love Potion, before you sit down for the fantastical feast, followed shortly by a Butterbeer on platform 9 ¾ whilst you enjoy your after hours access to the studios. I know.
The catch is that the evening is gonna set you back by £495 for a pair of tickets (yes, pair, so bad news if HP himself is the only man in your life). But fear not; if you don’t have enough Galleons in Gringotts to fork out for the pricey event, there are ways to bring Harry Potter into your V-Day that don’t even involve the apparition spell or polyjuice potion (well, only the gin-based version).
Here is your how-to guide to recreating the Valentine’s feast in the comfort of your own home, Warner Studios; eat your heart out (no pun intended).
Aperitif
Polyjuice potion, Butterbeer and Pumpkin Juice
Let’s face it, potion class is basically cocktail making in the world of muggles. Try knocking up your own polyjuice potion aka cucumber G&T with green food colouring), or have a go at this homemade Butterbeer. Wizards also drink pumpkin juice instead of OJ, but an Aperol spritz looks the part and tastes a whole lot better.
Canapés
Gillyweed dip with magic wand breadsticks
Weasley’s Dragon Roasted Nuts
Ok, it’s not really Gillyweed… but growing gills might have killed the V-day mood so try this yummy spinach dip instead. You can also nibble on Weasley’s nuts (stop it) even if you don’t have easy access to Diagon Alley by trying this recipe.
Starter
Pumpkin Pasties
Harry first tried pumpkin pasties when he bought them off the trolley on the Hogwarts express in a bid to impress his new mate Ron. We’re hoping they’re gonna have the same effect on the objects of our affections this V Day.
Main
Beef, Lamb and Guiness Stew with Yorkshire Puddings
Fleur may be sick of ‘zat heavy English food,’ but for the Hogwarts culinary experience it’s the more British the better. Yorkshire puddings are an absolute must.
Dessert
Luna Lovegood’s pudding
Luna loves pudding so much she has even had one made after her, and this recipelooks preeetty yummy. But it turns out that the world (well, the internet) is your oyster when it comes to HP inspired desserts. Try chocolate frogs, golden snitch cake pops, or for hardcore fans, these amazing mandrake cupcakes.
Cheese course
Nearly Headless Nick’s Mouldy Cheese
Just one of the delectable delights served at NH Nick’s Deathday party. We used blue Stilton, for obvious reasons.
Digestif
Amortentia Potion
Try having a vial of this love potion before you sneak off to bed. Anything goes, as long as it ends up pink. You can even up the magic with these super effective glitter ice cubes.
Decoration
To get the full Great Hall feel without boarding the Hogwarts express from platform 9 ¾, getting creative with the decor is a must. Try making your own floating candles, or just suspending some LED tea lights from invisible string for that Great Hall effect. You could even pop candle sticks in old wine bottles. Tbh when it comes to candles, the more the merrier.
We’re also a big fan of popping to the toilet mid-meal and scrawling a sneaky message on the mirror in lipstick. Extra points if you can include a Harry Potter innuendo. The chamber of secrets might have been opened, but it’s no secret that you want to see his wand later. Sorry.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.