Monday 8th February marks the Chinese New Year, this one ahead being the year of the monkey. You can celebrate in style with traditional Chinese dishes from Marks & Spencer's Food Hall. There are western favourites such as spring rolls and egg fried rice, but also some less familiar dishes for the adventurous, such as prawn dim sum and dumplings.

The Chinese Favourites box, priced £10 is the best value. It has rice, chicken dishes and two vegetarian options included in the handy takeaway style box. I love duck wrapped in those delicate little Asian pancakes, and you can choose whole, half or quarter duck sizes.

You'll find many takeaway favourites in the M&S Chinese range, plus some dishes you might not have tried before. If you've never had Singapore Noodles then you should try them. They are one of my favourites.

I've tried a few different dishes from this range previously and have never had any complaints. Home prepared rice or noodles can be tricky to get right, but I loved the egg noodles from M&S.

The whole range is quick and easy to prepare, no need for marinating or dicing. The selection of appetisers is great too, with ribs, spring rolls and sesame toast.

Finally, what's a Chinese meal without prawn crackers!

A dozen red roses is the Valentines' cliche that no woman really minds. It might not be inventive, but it does always feel special. But what if you'd like to give your partner something a little more, or maybe your girlfriend is allergic to real bouquets of flowers, in that case Yankee Candle's True Rose collection of home fragrance can swoop in to the rescue.

True Rose and Wedding Day are 'Fragrances of the Month' which means you'll get 25% off purchases of those scents. It's a beautiful looking jar, with the bright red to brighten up a room during the tail end of winter.

The scent is accurate and nostalgic for me. My Gran used to grow roses outside her little house, so there was a welcoming scent when you walked the path to her door.

If you prefer reed diffusers, then True Rose is available in that format too. Reed diffusers are lovely to place in a bathroom for a long time aroma in a smaller space.

Pink Carnation makes a special appearance this month, and a trip to your local Yankee store will prove that you can put together a bouquet of floral scents, if you feel like being adventurous with your home fragrance. Perhaps use a tart burner with half of a True Rose tart, and half of a pink carnation tart and see how it smells.