TOP TABLE
PEP UP YOUR PARTY PIECES
traditional lumpfish caviar, just £4.29 per jar on Ocado (or available at Ikea for just over £1). Next, you’ll need a selection of cured, smoked and pickled fish. Gravlax – raw salmon, cured in salt, sugar and dill – is a breeze to make, and should be served on rye bread with mustard. Complete the banquet with a serving of crayfish and dill; obviously, all dished up next to the British staple of salted peanuts and jumbo bags of slightly-past-their-prime Kettle chips from the back of the cupboard.
How to serve it
Invited your entire “It’s Coming Home” Whatsapp group over for the game, but lacking sufficient tableware? Worry not: Ikea has everything you could possibly need. To serve up your smörgåsbord, you’ll just need a few SMÅÄTA boards and SKOGSTA stands; then give your dining table patriotic gloss with alternating red and white MÄRIT place mats and a complementary table runner. Just add St George bunting and, of course, a couple of red and white seaside deckchairs to collapse in should the worst happen and we lose (not that we will, of course).
What to drink
For the casual fan who’s happy to spend more time catching rays in the garden than watching every minute of the game, a refreshing Pimm’s will likely be the drink of choice (an English summer party isn’t a party without it, after all). Those seeking something stronger – and more Swedish – to calm the nerves should look no further than brännvin. The Swedish liquor which, disconcertingly, translates to “burn wine”, is a vodka-esque spirit distilled from fermented grain or potatoes and seasoned with herbs. Surprisingly, it’s not awful. Toast Harry Kane’s second hat-trick of the tournament with a nubbe – a small shot – or dilute with tonic water to pace yourself. Sweden’s other, significantly less punchy, alcoholic export is sweet cider, so if you’re not quite up to the burn wine, make sure you load up on Rekorderlig, Kopparberg and plenty of ice.
What to wear
In Sweden, monochrome tones are the order of the day – perfect for paying homage to England in their all-white home kit. Opt for a plain white tee and black fitted jean combo from Cos, then complete the look with a pair of on-trend, Ninetiesinspired technical white sneakers from Acne Studios (both Swedish brands). If wearing colour is your thing, twinning blue and yellow would be a nod too far.
What music to play
In the absence of an official World Cup 2018 England song, Three Lions has become the default football anthem. On Tuesday, the song was streamed some 450,000 times on Swedish streaming giant Spotify alone – and you can expect that to rise tomorrow. That other Swedish behemoth, Abba, helpfully have a perfect track for every possible footballing permutation. Blast I Have
a Dream to get the hairs standing on end before kick-off; flick on SOS when Sweden take a shock lead; then have a tense singalong to Take a
Chance on Me when Southgate makes a last-minute tactical substitution; before playing The Winner Takes It
All on repeat when England make it through to the semis after penalties.