First course of a meal (7)
I believe the answer is:
starter
'first course of a meal' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for starter that I've seen before include "One giving signal to begin race" , "First course for beginner" , "cooking served first?" , "Hors d'oeuvre" , "First course of meal" .)