A. Talking about flavours and tastes - adjectives and some opposites (≠)

• hot, spicy (e.g. curry) ≠ mild
• bland [very little flavour; rather negative]
• salty [a lot of salt]
• sugary [a lot of sugar]
• sickly [too much sugar]
• savoury /ˈseɪvəri/ [pleasant, slightly salty or with herbs]
• sour [sharp, often unpleasant taste, like a lemon, and not sweet]
• bitter [with an unpleasantly sharp taste]
• tasty [has a good taste/flavour] ≠ tasteless [no flavour at all]
• moreish [having a pleasant taste, so you want to eat more]

• I love spicy food, especially curries - the hotter the better! My sister prefers mild curries.
• Those cakes are too sugary for me. They have a sickly taste.
• They had some delicious savoury snacks at the party. They were very moreish.
• The breakfast buffet was very poor quality: the coffee tasted bitter and the fruit juice was sour.
• The food on the plane was bland and tasteless - it was like eating cardboard!

B. Appearance, presentation and quality of food

• This meat is overcooked/overdone / undercooked/underdone.
• I’m afraid this mango is a bit unripe. They’re not really in season at the moment. [not ready to eat; opp = ripe] [being produced and ready and available]
• This butter has gone off. I think we should throw it out. [not good to eat because it is too old]
• I don’t feel like anything heavy. I just want something light; a salad would be fine.
• British cooking can be very stodgy. /ˈstɒdʒi/ [heavy, hard to digest]
• Zoe will only buy organic fruit and vegetables. [grown without artificial chemicals]
• We should try to have a balanced diet, without too much or too little of any particular thing.
• A diet of junk food can cause long-term health problems. [food that is unhealthy but easy and quick to eat] Processed food in general is not good for you. [that has been treated with chemicals to preserve it or give it extra colour or taste]

C. Eating out

At most good restaurants, you usually have to book a table / make a reservation beforehand. If something happens, or you are ill, you may need to cancel the booking/reservation. In the UK a meal in a restaurant is typically three courses: a starter¹, a main course, then a dessert. You can often order side dishes². Some restaurants may have a set menu [a selection of dishes at a fixed price], or you can order individual dishes (called ordering à-la-carte). Restaurants often have specials³ advertised on a board. They often cater for vegetarians, nonmeat-eaters⁴ and vegans⁵.

¹ light snack / appetiser ² a smaller dish alongside the main course (e.g. an extra vegetable) ³ dishes only available on that day ⁴ people who don’t eat meat but who are not vegetarians ⁵ people who don’t eat or use any animal products, such as meat, fish, eggs, cheese or leather

D. Eating at home

• HOST:¹ Right, there’s more soup. Who wants seconds²?
• GUEST: Oh, yes, please. It was absolutely delicious.
• HOST: There’s bread here. Just help yourself³.
• GUEST: Thanks.
• HOST: Be sure to keep a bit of room for some pudding⁴. Can I re-fill your glass?
• GUEST: Ah, yes, thank you.
• HOST: Say when.
• GUEST: When! That’s fine. Thanks.

• ¹ the person who has invited the guests
• ² a second serving of something
• ³ serve yourself
• ⁴ desserts are often called pudding (uncountable), a sweet (countable) or afters (plural) at home