August loses its fizz

What's the link between low sales of champagne and a luxury cooking appliance? The answer is that the former is being used to push sales of the latter.

A company called Stoves has decided that what with the decline in champagne sales and restaurant bookings, today is officially the least romantic day of the year. But worry not, for it has the perfect solution for restoring our lost faith in love. Crack open a bottle of fizz? Err actually, no. According to Stoves, the way to bring back that loving feeling is to come up with an idea for a romantic recipe with a chance to win yourself one of its (deep breath) "Accolade integrated kitchen products from a range of 70 products across a wide range of sizes and specifications including ovens, hobs, hoods, coffeemakers and microwaves."

Somebody pass me the corkscrew!

• Harpers Says...