An aphrodisiac pie may sound like a contradiction in terms, but that’s what Accrington-based Holland’s Pies has devised for Valentine’s Day. The so-called Aphro-piety, created by chef Tom Bridge along with Holland’s, contains chicken thigh, perry cider, asparagus in a lemon-infused cream sauce, topped with smoked oysters and decorated with a gold heart lid and a sprinkling of saffron. It will be available in chippies in the north west. "Oysters have chemical compounds that release hormones such as testosterone and oestrogen," said Holland’s. "The saffron affects the neurotransmitters in the brain’s pleasure centres, to get eaters in the mood for love."

Couple Lynda Fielding and Brian Belcher, who run Belfields fish and chip shop in Burnley, have been trialling the pies. Lynda said: "We’ve had our fish and chip shop for 22 years and, at the end of the day, we’re often too tired to think of anything other than going to sleep. But this has changed a little while we’ve been testing the pie if you know what I mean!" (Nope, you got us there!)