IELTS Food

Speaking and Listening

Speaking vocab - food
ingredients artificial flavourings
preservatives picked up
relished protein
carbohydrate dairy
cumin paprika
ground coriander home-cooked
crustaceans mollusks
fairy lights cosy feel
authentic street food
chickpeas tamarind
green ginger rhubarb
dahl beautiful
setting lentils pulses
health conscious reliant
from scratch fraught
boiled roasted
mashed
Speaking Part 1
What kind of food do you like to eat?

What kind of new food would you like to try? Why?

Do you like cooking? Why/ Why not?

What was the last meal you cooked?

Do you prefer home-cooked food or food from restaurants? Why?

What are some kinds of food you never eat? Why?

https://ieltspracticeonline.com/ielts-speaking-part-2-question-answer/
Speaking Part 2

Describe your favourite Restaurant.

You should say:

● where it is
● what it looks like inside and outside
● what kinds of foods they serve

and explain what makes this restaurant so special to you and others.

https://ieltsassistance.co.uk/ielts-speaking-test/part-2/topics/food/
Speaking Part 3
Tell me about the types of food that people eat in your country.

How are the eating habits now in your country different from eating habits in
the past?

How healthy is your country’s food?

Why do you think different cultures have different table manners?

How may eating habits change in coming decades?

What’s one aspect of a foreign tradition you like about their eating habits?
Why?

https://ieltsassistance.co.uk/ielts-speaking-test/part-3/topics/food/
Speaking Part 1
What kind of food do you like to eat?

I enjoy eating most types of food. I love to try new things, but I always try to cook at
home. Not only does it help develop my cooking skills, it also means I can control
the ingredients. I never add artificial flavourings or preservatives to my food, so I
know it will be better for me. Equally, I can control the flavour so it always tastes
great.

What kind of new food would you like to try? Why?

I would love to try kapsa. It’s a dish usually made with chicken, rice and spices and
it’s very popular through the Middle East. I have probably tried the least amount of
Middle Eastern food, but what I have tried has been delicious so I’d love to give it a
go.
Speaking Part 1
Do you like cooking? Why/ Why not?

I absolutely adore cooking! My mum is a chef, so growing up I always loved to watch her in
the kitchen and picked up some skills. As I’ve gotten older I’ve obviously moved away from
home and have relished the opportunity to practice cooking and perfect some dishes
too. Food is essential to life and we should definitely enjoy what we eat.

What was the last meal you cooked?

The last meal I cooked was my vegetarian chilli. I’ve developed this recipe over a few years
and now it’s reached absolute perfection! I have lots of vegetarian and vegan friends, so
this protein and veggie packed dish is great for them. It has lots of spices such as cumin,
paprika and ground coriander so it’s very tasty as well, it also has fresh chilli so it’s ideal
for cold winter nights.
Speaking Part 1
Do you prefer home-cooked food or food from restaurants? Why?

In general I prefer home-cooked meals, but I like to go to restaurants as a treat or on a

special occasion. As I mentioned before, at home I can control 100% of the ingredients
used, as well as the flavour so I know the food will be wholesome. That being said, it’s
always nice to sit in a restaurant and eat something delicious, even more so when I don’t
have to do the washing up after!

What are some kinds of food you never eat? Why?

I never eat shellfish, things like crabs, shrimp, mussels or oysters, because I have a severe
allergy to them. Crustaceans give me a milder reaction than mollusks, but in general I just
avoid eating foods with these ingredients. It forces me to get creative when cooking
dishes that use things like oyster sauce which can be a lot of fun.
Speaking Part 2

Describe your favourite Restaurant.

The restaurant I want to talk about it called Mowgli. This restaurant started in
Liverpool, but now they have locations in many cities through England and I
believe some are opening in Scotland next year. The restaurant is tastefully
decorated, it’s very modern, with soft lighting and natural wood features
throughout. Additionally, they use lots of fairy lights to give the restaurant a
very cosy feel. The main reason I love this restaurant is the food, the recipes are
authentic Indian street food recipes which the owner learned from her mum.
They’re genuinely delicious! I love the chat, they’re very light crisp bread balls
and filled with yoghurt, chickpeas and tamarind. The green ginger and rhubarb
dahl is also a personal favourite, it’s not heavy at all and is extremely tasty. I
don’t think I can pinpoint what makes this restaurant stand out so much, but I
think the combination of a beautiful setting, excellent food and a relaxed
Speaking Part 3
Tell me about the types of food that people eat in your country.

In the UK people eat a wide variety of things nowadays. I think many younger people are
eating more vegetarian or vegan options. Personally I’m a flexitarian, so I only eat meat
once or twice a week, so I also have many vegan friendly substitutes such as chickpeas,
lentils and other pulses.

How are the eating habits now in your country different from eating habits in the past?

I think in general people are more health conscious in my country when it comes to
choosing the food they eat. However, it could also easily be said that people are more
reliant on fast food than they were in the not so distant past. Some families insist on
cooking everything from scratch, which would definitely make they food healthier as we
now have greater access to good quality ingredients in supermarkets. On the other side
of coin, as modern lives are increasingly fraught, many people don’t have time to cook,
and so get cheap take out, which is definitely less healthy.
Speaking Part 3
How healthy is your country’s food?

Traditional English food is quite fat heavy, so it’s definitely less healthy than other
countries food. Traditional meals here consist mostly of meat and two vegetables,
usually with some form of potato, either boiled, roasted or mashed. This isn’t
particularly unhealthy, but there are definitely more wholesome foods in the world.

Why do you think different cultures have different table manners?

I can’t give a definite answer but maybe the reason that table manners differ is due
to different cuisines. For example, in South-East Asia they eat much more rice than
the West. The meals often tend to be served in bowls, and the cutlery used is
different, chopsticks and spoons rather than knives and forks. In China, it is
acceptable to pick up you bowl to bring it closer to your face while eating, as eating
rice with chopsticks can be a little tricky as so it’s easier to consume. In the West this
is usually frowned upon and seen as rude, as the plates or bowls will remain
stationary.
Speaking Part 3
How may eating habits change in coming decades?

I suspect that in the near future we will continue to see a rise in a variety of
convenience food, but I hope we will see an increase in fresh local produce
being made affordable for the masses. Equally, I think lab grown meat will
become a part of many peoples diet as it has a less harmful effect on the
environment than rearing cattle or sheep.

What’s one aspect of a foreign tradition you like about their eating habits?
Why?

I quite like the Mediterranean diet in general. I eat a mostly plant based diet
anyway, so for me it’s not a huge change of habits, but eating smaller meals at
more frequent intervals also suits my body quite well and I feel more energetic.
Equally, I don’t really like eating too much dairy or eggs, so again the mostly
vegetarian diet really appeals to me.
Listening
https://mini-ielts.com/49/listening/a-balanced-diet

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KWzJxaBm4_oKidb_ORO4YbSNynqttj4ie-v
9ZeuSOsw/edit?usp=sharing
Reading and Writing
Reading- Gap Fill Tips
1) Use the text TITLE to work out the structure of the whole Reading.
e.g. What destroyed the civilisation of Easter Island?
This title of the text tells us to expect an answer.
In this text we have different theories from different specialists.
2) Use the SUMMARY HEADING to find the right paragraph
The heading of the Gapped Summary gives us ONE answer to the title’s question: it tells us Jared
Diamond’s View.
Use CAPITAL LETTERS e.g. in this example, the name ‘Jared Diamond’ helps us quickly find the
paragraph which has Diamond’s view.
3) Use synonyms
Look around the gap for synonyms to help you find the sentences which contain the answer.
4) Decide what type of word you need. Do you need a verb, noun, adjective or number?
5) Use your general knowledge to make quick ‘educated’ guesses.
6) Make sure you always keep the ‘s’ on plural forms.
7) Copy the words exactly as they appear in the text (don’t lose points for spelling)
8) The words usually come in the same order as they appear in the text, so don’t waste time looking
for answers in different places.
9) Always check how many words you are allowed.
10) Make sure that the word or words you choose fit grammatically e.g. in 21 below, ‘clearing land for
farm*‘ would be grammatically incorrect.
Reading- Gap Fill Tips
https://ieltsetc.com/ielts-reading-gapped-summaries/

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KWzJxaBm4_oKidb_ORO4YbSNynqttj4ie-v
9ZeuSOsw/edit?usp=sharing
Writing
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KWzJxaBm4_oKidb_ORO4YbSNynqttj4ie-v
9ZeuSOsw/edit?usp=sharing