11am: Line your stomach

Nerves will soon be shredded, voices screamed hoarse and livers may find themselves ever so slightly pickled. So make sure to serve a hearty brunch to set you up for the long day of sport ahead. Marks & Spencer’s easy-but-impressive 
mini smoked salmon bagel platter (£15 
for 20; marksandspencer.com) is among
 a plethora of party food options that can be ordered in advance for collection in-store, then presented to hungry gatherers with fanfare and a feeling of smug satisfaction. And ensure there’s also plenty of iced coffee on hand to prevent any afternoon slumps.

12pm: Collate the cocktails

Use the time before the action begins 
to do something vital: craft your cocktails. In a carafe, add 85ml of lemonade, 40ml of bourbon (we like Maker’s Mark; £30, waitrose.com) and 85ml of craft peach cider per person (try Rekorderlig Peach and Basil, three for £5.25, tesco.com). Keep in the fridge and top up with ice cubes as needed. Not a fan of bourbon? Try tennis-friendly Pimm’s Ice Popsicles (£5.99 for three, ocado.com). 

1.30pm: Watch the Wimbledon warm up

The men’s singles finalists will soon be on court for their pre-match knock-up, so assemble everyone in front of the TV with a selection of snacks. The Clucking Pig’s Gourmet Scotch Eggs can be ordered online in advance
– rare breed
pork with chorizo gets our vote (£3 each, thecluckingpig.com).

2pm: Be ready for the first serve

Avoid getting stuck in the kitchen when the match is on by pre-ordering a picnic hamper. In London, fortnumandmason.com and piquefood.co.uk are good options, while Carluccio’s (carluccios.com) offers hampers from national branches. Go ‘full Wimbledon’ for dessert: melt a bar of Chocolate Tree Madagascar Ambanja (£5.95; chocolateteadingco.com) then dip in whole strawberries one at a time.

3.50pm: Prepare for the World Cup kick-off

Keep the sustenance 
coming by preparing 
a quick bowl of truffle
 bacon popcorn ahead of
 the 4pm kick-off. Pop
 some rashers of unsmoked bacon under the grill and place a bag of instant popcorn in the microwave. When popped, drizzle with melted butter, season with a pinch of truffle salt (£9.95 for 70g; trufflehunter.co.uk) and scatter with rough-chopped crispy bacon. 

4.45pm: Upgrade half-time oranges

We see your humble 
half-time fruit segments
 and we raise you an
 Aperol spritz. There’s 
only 15 minutes but it
 should take less than five 
to mix together a round garnished with generous 
slices of orange (Aperol, £10 for 70cl, tesco.com). Mix Aperol and prosecco in equal parts, add a dash of soda water and serve.

6pm (or thereabouts): Final whistle

Depending on extra time and penalties, your guests will be peckish by the time the match finishes. Ceviche is a super quick dinner option. Chop half a red onion and roughly tear a 
bunch of coriander. Cut 250g
 of skinless white fish (sea bass
 or sea bream) into 1cm chunks and rub with salt. Place all the ingredients into a bowl, add the juice of four limes and half an orange, along with a chopped red chilli. Leave it to marinade for 10 minutes then serve with tortilla chips.

7pm: Congratulate yourself on a job well done

Celebrate, commiserate, drown your sorrows, do what you’ve got to do – but make sure you do it with a Happy Endings ice cream sandwich in hand, because it’s only right to end with dessert. You’ll find them at Selfridges Food Hall (£4.50, happyendingsldn.com).

The Wimbledon men’s singles final starts at 2pm and the World Cup final starts at 4pm, both on the BBC 

Images: Unsplash