that the best version is with self-cooked prawns, and that in the 1960s it was "something simple but really luscious, yet over the years it has suffered from some very poor adaptations, not least watery prawns and inferior sauces." As Hopkinson and Bareham note in The Prawn Cocktail Years, what was once considered to be the "Great British Meal" consisted of prawn cocktail, followed by steak garni with chips and Black Forest gateau for dessert; they comment that "cooked as it should be, this much-derided and often ridiculed dinner is still something very special indeed." The "prawn cocktail offensive" Before the 1992 British general election, the Labour Party campaigned to win the support of business and financial leaders by persuading them that they would not interfere with the market economy. The campaign was lampooned as the "Prawn Cocktail Offensive". Spin-off products The ubiquity of the prawn cocktail has led to such products as prawn cocktail flavour crisps, which are still one of the most popular varieties of this snack food in the United Kingdom. Prawn cocktail flavour crisps were the second most popular in the UK in 2004, with a 16% market share. Variations Clams, oysters, squid (as a squid cocktail), or other seafood can be substituted for shrimp. Various preparations use ingredients such as fish and octopus. Seafood cocktails often include lime juice and a tomato based sauce and are sometimes served with lemon. In the US, they are regulated by the FDA which requires the proportions by weight to be stated when the dish is sold in a prepared form. See also List of hors d'oeuvre Ceviche Vuelvealavida References External links Shrimp dishes Appetizers 1960s in the United Kingdom 1970s in the United Kingdom British cuisine Oyster dishes Clam dishes American seafood dishes