Clue: Small cake, water and starters of raw rissoles offered by the French, rising to get feisty (5,1,7)
Answer: START A QUARREL
Explanation: Definition: get feisty
A charade of S ('small') plus TART ('cake') plus AQUA ('water') plus R R ('starters of **R**aw **R**issoles') plus EL, a reversal ('rising', in a down light) of LE ('the French').