The best places to grab an ethical snack in Cambridge this Valentine’s Day

I’d start this with a joke about not needing love and only needing food but that’d place me at significant risk of being branded a Millennial when I am, in fact, still a teenager.

Since we live in late stage capitalism, Valentine’s Day has transformed into a consumerist cash grab. But, unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do about that, so here’s five Valentine’s Day themed snacks to eat alone (or buy your partner, I guess) this Valentine’s Day!

As an added bonus, all the snack and drinks are independent and vegan, so don’t feel too bad about being a cog in the capitalist machine.

Cafe Abantu love infused tea

Love hearts, love potion, red velvet and wedding cake tea. I feel like a lot of people in Cambridge have never drunk these teas – especially my supervisor – there’s definitely no love when it comes to my essay feedback. In all seriousness though, these teas sound really delicious and the flavours are really creative – can’t say I’ve had red velvet tea before.

Chocolat Chocolat heart chocolates

Situated next to John Lewis, this tiny family-run shop offers artisan chocolate hearts, a traditional Valentine’s treat. This is probably the most romantic thing on this list, so eating it alone would probably be quite sad. However, if you eat a box of chocolates alone in one sitting and no one sees you, did you really eat them? Only your bank account knows for certain.

Fitzbillies chelsea bun heart

Of course. What’s more Fitzbillies? What’s more romantic? Buy one of these and look over the backs with your friends because you’re all too busy doing Cambridge to have a partner.

Honestly, I can’t lie – going into Fitzbillies was actually what inspired me to write this article, as I saw their Valentines shortbread hearts and wondered what other options they had. Naturally it was the chelsea bun heart that stole my… uh… heart?

Benets – Valentine’s week

To celebrate Valentine’s week Benets Cafe has released adorable pink raspberry sorbet looks about as love-themed as gelato can get. But if you’re not into gelato there’s also other options…

“Live, Laugh, Love – Colombia” – that’s what their Valentine’s coffee is actually called. It’s eco-friendly, comes in a cute pink box and is probably cheaper than getting coffee out – a neat gift. Would 100 per cent get one of my four college wives as a college marriage present (do you think they’d accept a group gift? No?).

Crosstown doughnuts Valentine’s and Galentine’s donuts

Okay, I know these are expensive but lychee and cinnamon, passionfruit and chocolate and a six-pack of Galentine’s donuts definitely sounds like the best way to spend the 14th with your friends. At least you’ll have an aesthetic donut to post on your Instagram story.

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• We rated over twenty of Cambridge’s Jack’s Gelato flavours from best to worst
• Autumn seasonal drinks: Which will be your study buddy?
• The ultimate Cambridge Lent Term survival guide