Prawn Cocktail

Prawn cocktail earns its spot on the Christmas table because it needs no oven and no stovetop, which matters when the rest of the kitchen is already busy with a roast or a ham. Buy your prawns already cooked and peeled from the fishmonger if you can, it turns this into an assembly job rather than a cooking one.

The Marie Rose sauce is just mayonnaise and tomato sauce with a few extras for balance, but the ratio matters more than it looks. Too much tomato sauce and it tastes like a dip, too much mayonnaise and it's just creamy without any tang. A squeeze of lemon juice and a dash of Worcestershire sauce are what lift it from flat to properly savoury.

Iceberg lettuce, finely shredded, is the traditional base rather than a softer leaf, it stays crisp under the sauce instead of wilting while the glasses sit on the table. Build each serving in a small glass or cocktail glass if you want the classic look, though a wide-rimmed bowl works just as well if you're short on glassware.

Assemble these close to serving. The lettuce holds for an hour or two in the fridge once dressed, but it's at its best within the first half hour.