Food

dine in: relating to or offering food that is eaten in the restaurant where it is ordered rather than being taken away.
e.g. We’re dining in at Barbeque Nation tonight.

take-away: a meal prepared in a café/restaurant and eaten at home.
e.g. I’m going to ring the Japanese restaurant and order a takeaway.

fussy eater: someone who is very picky about the food and doesn’t eat everything.
e.g. My husband is a fussy eater, and he’s never pleased with my cooking.

home-cooked food: food cooked at home, usually implies that food is healthy.
e.g. Preparing home-cooked food is a good way to make a balanced meal.

in a walking distance of: close to.
 e.g. I usually dine at a restaurant that’s in a walking distance of my home.

Italian cuisine: traditional Italian food. You can also say French cuisine, Russian cuisine, Chinese cuisine and so on.
e.g. I adore pasta, pizza and Italian cuisine in general.

more of a chore than a pleasure: something you do rather unwillingly.
e.g. I think that cooking is more of a chore than a pleasure.

mouth–watering: delicious, appetizing.

my mouth is watering: that is to say you find something very appetizing. People use this expression when they see/smell food that looks very delicious.
e.g. My mouth is watering every time I think about my grandmother’s apple pie.

nutritious products: products rich in calories.
e.g. A nutritious breakfast is a great way to start the day, as it gives your body the nutrients and you get enough energy.

processed food: food that has been modified in an undesirable or unhealthy way to achieve its current state.
e.g. Try to avoid processed foods like flavored nuts and cereal bars. It is much healthier to eat organic food.

quality justifies the bill: when a product is worth buying due its good quality, even if it’s expensive.
e.g. I first thought those strawberries were too expensive, but when I tasted them I understood that their quality justified the bill.

quick snack: a light and quick meal, usually unhealthy.
e.g. Eating quick snack instead of main meal can be harmful for stomach.

ready meal: a meal that you buy already cooked, which only requires reheating to be eaten.
e.g. I had no desire to cook, so I bought a ready meal in a nearby supermarket.

restrain one’s hunger: to avoid eating when you really want to. Usually practiced during diets.
e.g. John couldn’t restrain his hunger anymore and went to the nearest fast-food restaurant.

slap-up meal: a quick and fatty meal. To slap up means to cook something very quickly.
e.g. I feel like making a slap-up meal tonight.

to bolt something down: to eat a large amount of food very quickly.
e.g. Don’t bolt your food down like that, it’s very rude!

to catch a snack: to eat a little portion of food very quickly.
to be starving hungry: an exaggerated way of saying you are very hungry.

starving hungry: to be extremely hungry.
e.g. I woke up starving hungry yesterday and ate the whole roast chicken.

to be ravenous (to have ravenous appetite): to be really hungry, starving, voracious.
e.g. After working all day, I had a ravenous appetite.

the main meal: the most important meal of the day.

to be dying of hunger: an exaggerated way of saying you are really hungry.
e.g. I haven’t eaten all day. I’m dying of hunger!

to be full-up: to eat to the point that you can’t eat anymore.
e.g. Would you like more chips? – No, thank you, I’m already full-up!

to eat a balanced diet: to eat correctly and in time.

to eat like a horse: to always eat a lot.
e.g. She’s so thin, yet she eats like a horse.

to follow a recipe: to cook a meal using instructions.
e.g. Although she had never cooked a jugged hare before, she followed a recipe and made a fantastic meal.

to foot the bill: to pay the bill.
e.g. You paid for dinner last time. Let me foot the bill for lunch today.

to grab a bite to eat: to eat something quickly.
e.g. I won’t eat the whole cake, just let me grab a bite to eat.

to have a sweet tooth: to enjoy eating sweet food.
e.g. Dave eats candy all the time. He must have a sweet tooth.

to overeat oneself: eat too much, eat immodestly.
e.g. If you overeat, you’re bound to get fat.

to play with your food: to push food around the plate without eating it.

to spoil your appetite: to do something that would hinder your desire to eat.
e.g. Stop talking about the snails, you’re spoiling my appetite!

to tuck into: to eat something greedily and with pleasure.
e.g. After not eating the whole day, he tucked into the ham like a savage.

to wine and dine: to banquet, to “entertain with good food”. If you wine and dine someone, you usually take him out to dinner at a fancy restaurant.
e.g. The company wined and dined us, hoping to convince us we should accept the job.

to work up an appetite: to do something that will lead to hunger.
e.g. He must have worked up an appetite in the gym.