GRAB yourself some ostrich biltong and a Castle beer if you want to go native and enjoy the World Cup in South African style.

Then throw a crocodile steak or a whole snoek on the grill, blow on your vuvuzela (a giant plastic horn), and hope for victory.

That is the advice of Greg Miller, who runs the Taste of South Africa and Farmoor Stores, just outside Oxford.

All eyes will be on England on Saturday night when Fabio Capello’s men open their campaign against the US in Rustenburg.

Mr Miller, who is originally from Durban but has run the shop in Oxford Road, Farmoor, for 16 years, said the atmosphere in his home country would be electric.

But for those not making the 5,500-mile trip, he says it’s easy to create a little piece of South Africa here in Oxfordshire with some traditional snacks or an exotic barbecue.

He said: “For a start, if you’re watching football, you’ll want some South African snacks, so it’s biltong and droerwors.

“Biltong is dried, cured meat and can be beef, ostrich, springbok or kudu, and there are different flavours and spicy biltongs.

“It’s really popular, like you have crisps here.”

Droerwors is a dried, spiced sausage, usually made with beef.

And to wash them down Mr Miller recommends a Castle or Hansa lager, perhaps one of the country’s many ciders or even a drop of white wine from the Nederburg estate.

But it is only when the barbecue is fired up that the spirit of South Africa comes into its own.

“After the football you need to sit down, light the fire and have a barbecue,” said Mr Miller.

“One thing you’ll definitely have is boerewors, which comes in different flavours and is a traditional South African sausage.

“Then you would want some kudu – a large antelope – or ostrich, and some crocodile or wildebeest steaks.

“One South African speciality is the ‘flattie’, a whole butterflied chicken that you just chuck straight on the barbecue. They come in different marinades. Another is sosaties, like a kebab with dried fruit and spicy meat.”

And for seafood lovers, the shop stocks whole snoek – a fish similar to barracuda – which is grilled with herbs and apricot jam.

Mr Miller said the atmosphere would be at fever pitch before tomorrow’s opening game, when South Africa take on Mexico.

“Sport is the be all and end all,” he said. “Everyone back home is extremely excited and the noise in the grounds from the vuvuzelas will be amazing.”

But does he think the home support can sweep South Africa to victory?

“I’ll be happy if we get past the group stages. I think Brazil will win it,” he said.