Prawn cocktail is the iconic British starter: cold cooked prawns folded through Marie Rose sauce, a blend of mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, lemon juice, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce or Tabasco, served on shredded lettuce in a glass, traditionally a wine glass or sundae dish. It defined 1970s dinner-party dining and retains a nostalgic charm, though modern versions upgrade the formula with better prawns, homemade sauces, avocado, and lime. The dish’s simplicity is its virtue and its risk: with so few components, prawn quality is exposed, and as a cold seafood starter it demands rigorous cold chain control and freshness. Nutritionally it is moderate, protein-rich prawns against the mayonnaise-based sauce, which lighter versions replace with yoghurt. Few dishes capture a nation’s culinary era so completely.