Cocktails & Canapes for Women's World Cup 2015: England

So today the England ladies play France in their first women's 2015 world cup game and the theme has to be 'les rosbifs'. I've no idea why the French call us Rosbifs but there can be no shame attached to an association with fine roast English beef.

So I'm going for roast beef canapes with gin and tonic cocktail. Heavy on the gin and light on the tonic and none of that diet tonic nonesense this is 'full fat' Fevertree tonic water. My choice of gin lacks sophistication but Gordons is not so bad.

So lionesses, time to roar!

'Rosbif' Canape

Roast Beef, Yorkshire Pudding, Horseradish and mini Roast Potatoes

le Gin Tonic Cocktail

I have been using a Jamie Oliver Yorkshire pudding recipe from some time now. The version I use has been photocopied from an early Jamie Oliver book, but I do not know which one, such is my organisation. I think it may also appear in his Ministry of Food book and it is on the internet here. This is different to the one that appears on the jamieoliver.com website. I made quite small ones for the canapes but had to cut a little of the middle out to make more of a cup shape. If you have a fool proof method of producing small yorkies then do let me know.

Small roast potatoes make perfect cocktail nibbles and I much prefer them to anything that is heavy on pastry such as those classic 1970s vol au vents that seemed all pastry and little else.

Come on England!