IELTS Vocabulary for Food & Dining: Master 20+ Idioms and Phrases PDF

IELTS vocabulary food and cooking

To get a Band 7+ score, you need to use words that are specific to the topic, whether you're talking about your favorite food or healthy eating habits. This guide will teach you important phrases about eating out, cooking, and appetite.

1. Describing Hunger and Appetite

You might be asked about how much you eat or how you feel before a meal on the IELTS Speaking test:

To be starving hungry / To be dying of hunger: These are exaggerated ways of saying you are very hungry.
To work up an appetite: To do physical work that leads to you becoming hungry.
To make your mouth water: To make you feel very hungry for something.
To eat like a horse: To eat a lot.
To spoil your appetite: To eat something that will stop you from feeling hungry when it's mealtime.

2. Eating Habits and Types of Eaters

How do you and your friends eat? To be more specific, use these words:

A fussy eater: Somebody who has their very high standards about what to eat.
To have a sweet tooth: To enjoy sugary food.
To eat a balanced diet: To eat the correct types and amounts of food.
To bolt something down: To eat something very quickly.
To tuck into: To eat something with pleasure.
To play with your food: To push food around the plate to avoid eating it.

3. Cooking and Types of Meals

From delicious home-cooked meals to easy-to-make meals:

Home-cooked food: Food cooked at home from individual ingredients.
To follow a recipe: To cook a meal using instructions.
The main meal: The most important meal of the day (usually eaten in the evening).
A slap-up meal: A large meal.
Processed food / A ready meal: Commercially prepared food bought for convenience.
A quick snack: To eat a small amount of food between meals.

4. Dining Out and Socializing

If the topic is about restaurants or treating guests:

To grab a bite to eat: To eat something quickly when you are in a rush.
A take away: A cooked meal prepared in a restaurant and eaten at home.
To wine and dine: To entertain someone by treating them to food and drink.
To foot the bill: To pay the bill.
To be full up: To eat to the point that you can no longer eat any more.

Summary Table for Quick Revision (Food Topic)

Word / Phrase	Meaning
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 very high standards about what to eat
To grab a bite to eat	To eat something quickly when you are 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	Commercially prepared food bought for convenience
A slap-up meal	A large meal
To spoil your appetite	To eat 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

Test Your Food Vocabulary

Challenge yourself! Answer the 10 questions and click "Show My Score" at the end.

1. If you eat a lot, you eat like a ________.

2. Someone who is very picky about what they eat is a ________.

3. To ________ is to pay the bill in a restaurant.

4. A ________ is a large, high-quality meal.

5. If you enjoy sugary food, you have a ________.

6. To ________ is to eat something very quickly.

7. If you cannot eat any more, you are ________.

8. Food cooked at home from fresh ingredients is ________ food.

9. To ________ is to entertain someone with food and drink.

10. To ________ is to eat something with great pleasure.

Download IELTS Food & Dining Vocabulary PDF

Get the complete list of 24+ food idioms, dining phrases, and collocations for your IELTS Speaking preparation.

Download Food List (PDF)

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