IELTS Food Vocabulary

IELTS Food Vocabulary


Part 1-style task

Examiner: Do you like to cook?
Student
: Not really no  … most of the time I eat ready meals and take-aways … that’s one of the reasons I love visiting my mum … you can always guarantee lovely home-cooked food 


Examiner: What time do you usually eat dinner?
Student: We have our main meal at around 7.00 … I’m usually starving hungry by then … in fact I often grab a bite to eat as soon as I get home from college … a sandwich perhaps … but not too much to spoil my appetite …


Examiner: Are there any types of food you don’t like?
Student: No not really … I’m not a fussy eater at all … actually I eat like a horse … I do a lot of sport and work up quite an appetite 



Part 2-style task

Describe a restaurant that you like to use. You should say

  • where this restaurant is
  • what kind of food it serves
  • how often you go there
and say why you like eating there so much.
Howard:  OK … this is a nice topic to talk about … there’s a restaurant just around the corner from where I live … it’s an Italian restaurant so as you’d expect you can eat various pasta dishes and pizzas and I usually go there with my family for a slap-up meal if we have anything to celebrate … it’s quite a posh restaurant … the kind of place you would take someone if you wanted to wine and dine them … we usually order a 3-course meal … a light starter then a main dish … and I have quite a sweet tooth so I always look forward to the dessert … I usually order Tiramisu … it makes my mouth water just to think about it … I’m always totally full up by the end … why do I enjoy it there … well … it’s not cheap … my parents always foot the bill and we couldn’t afford to go there regularly so it’s always a nice treat  …


Part 3-style questions

Examiner: How can we encourage people to eat more healthily?
Student
: I think the best approach is to have everything in moderation … processed food won’t kill you if you only eat it occasionally … but people should also be encouraged to eat a balanced diet… try to cook fresh ingredients at home a few times a week …

Examiner: Do you think people enjoy their food as much as they should?
Student
: I don’t know really … I suppose it’s true that people will often eat a quick snack because they’re bored not because they’re dying of hunger … and often they just bolt it down and don’t savour it … so yes … perhaps we could take more time over our food …


Examiner: Do you think cooking is a pleasure or a chore for people who have busy lives?Student: Well … whether you follow a recipe of make something up as you go along … I think cooking is a very creative process … and cooking for other people is a particular pleasure … there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing people you love tucking into something you’ve cooked yourself …


Definitions

  • to be full up: to eat to the point that you can no longer eat any more
  • to be starving hungry: an exaggerated way of saying you are very hungry
  • to bolt something down: to eat something very quickly
  • to be dying of hunger: an exaggerated way of saying you are hungry
  • to eat a balanced diet: to eat the correct types and amounts of food
  • to eat like a horse: to eat a lot
  • to follow a recipe: to cook a meal using instructions
  • to foot the bill: to pay the bill
  • a fussy eater: somebody who has their own very high standards about what to eat
  • to grab a bite to eat: to eat something quickly (when you’re in a rush)
  • to have a sweet tooth: to enjoy sugary food
  • home-cooked food: food cooked at home from individual ingredients
  • the main meal:  the most important meal of the day, usually eaten in the evening
  • to make your mouth water: to make you feel very hungry for something
  • to play with your food: to push food around the plate to avoid eating it
  • processed food: commercially prepared food bought for convenience
  • a quick snack: to eat a small amount of food between meals
  • a ready meal: see ‘processed food’
  • a slap up meal: a large meal
  • to spoil your appetite: to est something that will stop you feeling hungry when it’s meal-time.
  • a take away: a cooked meal prepared in a restaurant and eaten at home
  • to tuck into: to eat something with pleasure
  • to wine and dine: to entertain someone by treating them to food and drink
  • to work up an appetite: to do physical work that leads to you becoming hungry