Chefs of France, we bear you no grudge. Your former leader may have insulted the nation with jibes about the quality of British cooking but, gracious people that we are, we are big enough to admit that your moules marinieres is indeed sublime and your escargots surprisingly flavoursome for creatures that live in the dirt.

Hence, on the occasion of President Sarkozy’s visit to London and the Anglo-French face-off at the Stade de France, we declare this evening to be French night. So dust off that bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape you’ve been saving for a special occasion and get yourself to the kitchen well ahead of kick-off to prepare your délices gastronomiques, Times Online-style.

Starter:

Charles de Gaulle once lamented that it was impossible to govern a nation that had 246 different types of cheese but in our view the joy of dipping crusty French bread into the warm, oozing heart of a baked Camembert more than makes up for it. Surely the easiest recipe in the French repertoire, it’s fairly self-explanatory, requiring just the cheese itself, an oven, and if you so desire, a few almonds.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and remove the lid from the cheese.

2. The cheese can be brushed with a tablespoon of melted butter and scattered with almonds if desired.

3. Place the cheese in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes before serving with French bread.

Main course:

Cassoulet is a staple winter dish in much of France, and ideal for these nippy March nights. We recommend preparing it ahead of the match then shoving it in the oven until half-time. You will need the following ingredients, though it's a flexible recipe so don't worry if you can't find everything:

500 grams of white haricot beans (pre-soaked if dried, but if tinned will do for Delia, it’ll do for us too)

Pork (quantity according to taste)

Confit de canard (also available tinned, one portion per person.)

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