Practice English Vocabulary B2 Exercises – Food and drink

A. Write a verb from the box under each picture.

B. Circle the correct word.

1   I particularly like Mexican and Indian kitchen / cuisine.

2   Frozen / Freezing fish is just as tasty as fresh fish.

3   My mum’s the best cooker / cook in the world!

4   Once the kettle / teapot has boiled, pour the boiling water over the jelly cubes. They’ll melt withing seconds!

5   Excuse me. Could we have the catalogue / menu, please? We’d like to see what you have for dessert.

6   Boil the eggs for three minutes in a saucepan on the grill / hob / oven.

7   Any meat that’s kept in the fridge / freezer should be defrosted thoroughly before cooking.

8   Grandma’s having her new chef / cooker delivered next week. It’s gas, so it will make cooking much easier for her.

9   Chilli con carne is one of my favourite plates / bowls / saucers / dishes. It’s delicious!

10   Are you going to get your suit dry-cleaned for the Carlton’s dinner / lunch party tomorrow night?

11   My friend Sally’s a true vegetable / vegetarian / vegan, so she doesn’t eat meat, fish or even any milk products like cheese!

12   Let’s get a Chinese takeaway / fast food tonight.

13   Fizzy / Soft drinks are gassy because they’ve got carbon dioxide in them.

C. Write one word in each gap.

Restaurant review: La Clara, Kensington

by Celia Clarke

I’ve taken (1) …………… not booking a table in my real name for these restaurant reviews, as there’s always the fear that I’ll receive special attention if they know I’m a food critic. For Adam Carter’s new restaurant, La Clara, on Kensington High Street, I took this one stage further by not booking a table at all.

Earlier in the evening, some friends had come (2) …………… for a chat and mentioned La Clara. We decided just to drop (3) …………… to see if there was a free table. There wasn’t – always a risk if you (4) …………… up without booking, of course – but we decided to wait. And wait we did. Having arrived at about 9:30, it was getting (5) …………… for eleven before we were finally seated. Incidentally, while we were having a drink at the bar, we ran (6) …………… the food critic of a rival newspaper. She said this was one of her favourite restaurants at the moment. I’d like to be able to report that I now agree, but unfortunately our meal turned (7) …………… to be far from wonderful.

I ordered mushroom troubadour as a starter. The sauce tasted like the cream had (8) …………… off. It was practically inedible. My friend Jane ordered salmon sentinale. Fifteen minutes after my mushrooms had arrived, the waiter came over to say that they had (9) …………… out of salmon. He went (10) …………… to say that they would be closing at midnight. It was already 11.30. The head chef of La Clara likes to try (11) …………… one new dish every day. This is called the Chef’s Special. I decided to have this – a not-particularly-exciting pasta dish – for the main course. It wasn’t bad, but the waiter kept (12) …………… coming over to see if we had finished. We hadn’t.

I’ll leave (13) …………… a description of the dessert. We had to eat it so quickly I can’t even remember what it tasted like.

I don’t want to (14) …………… anyone off trying La Clara – all new restaurants have problems at the start – but I for one shan’t be going back any time soon.

D. Read ten different ways of explaining things (what something is, how to do something, etc) and decide where these texts appear.

A   in the instructions for a dishwasher

B   in the instructions for a washing machine

C   in the instructions for an electric cooker

D   in a recipe book

E   on a sign in a health food shop

F   on a menu

G   in an advertisement for a restaurant

H   in a toast at a celebration

I    in an article on dieting

J   in an article on organising a dinner party

1   Only heat-resistant ceramic and glass dishes should be used for oven baking/roasting. ……….

2   A homemade chunky and succulent beefburger, filled with mozzarella cheese and served with a side salad and baked potato. ……….

3   Wash the carrots and slice. Set to one side. Boil the potatoes for six minutes or until slightly soft to the touch. ……….

4   Open seven days a week. Ideal for wedding receptions, birthday parties and other special occasions. ……….

5   Large plates, dishes and bowls should be loaded into the bottom rack (1). Glasses should be placed upside down on the top rack (2). Cutlery should be placed in the cutlery container (3). ……….

6   Are you fed up with trying to lose weight and failing? Doreen Brown asks top nutritionists how we can lose that fat, and not put it back on again. ……….

7   Make a note of all the things you have to do before your guests arrive (laying the table, getting changed, etc) and when you have to do them. If you’re planning to cook the meal yourself (rather than having catering), make sure you choose a menu you know well. Do not experiment with new dishes on this kind of occasion! ……….

8   Whites and delicate items should be washed separately. ……….

9   I ask you all to raise your glasses so we can drink to my wonderful great-grandfather, ninety-seven years young today! ……….

10   Vegetarian and Vegan Products. ……….

E. Write one word in each gap.

1   Everyone complimented her ……………… the wonderful buffet she’d laid on.

2   The problem with drinks like that is they’re full ……………… sugar.

3   I can’t choose ……………… Death by Chocolate or fruit salad.

4   I’m not going to tell you what’s for supper. You’ll just have to wait ……………… see.

5   She’s generally regarded ……………… being the best cookery book writer of her generation.

6   Most people associate English food ……………… fish and chips and shepherd’s pie.

7   Karen’s very careful ……………… how much salt she has.

8   There’s a lack ……………… good restaurants round here.

9   The meat was well cooked, but the sauce was totally lacking ……………… flavour.

F. Complete using the correct form of the verb in brackets.

1   I tend not …………………… (cook) very often during the week as I don’t have time.

2   Do you remember …………………… (go) to that wonderful little taverna on Skiathos last summer?

3   I must remember …………………… (buy) some bread on the way home.

4   Why don’t you offer …………………… (help) with the washing-up?

5   I’d suggest …………………… (get) a takeaway rather than cooking.

6   Would you be willing …………………… (lend) me a hand with the pudding?

G. Use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in the gaps.

Creating your own dishes

Good cooking is always a strange (1) ………………… (MIX) of science and art and you certainly have to be fairly (2) ………………… (CREATE) if you want to come up with your own recipes. All cooking also demands a fair amount of (3) ………………… (PRAPARE), and this is doubly true when you’re producing (4) ………………… (ORIGIN) dishes. You also have to be thick-skinned. You’ll be (5) ………………… (SURPRISE) by how honest people can be when it comes to food. I’ve had people tell me my latest dish is (6) ………………… (DISGUST) and (7) ………………… (THOROUGH) inedible! Sometimes, they were right! But don’t get upset. Just smile (8) ………………… (SWEET) and thank them for their valuable opinion. And never forget what when you’re waiting (9) ………………… (ANXIOUS) to hear whether or not your ‘masterpiece’ is a success and they suddenly show their (10) ………………… (APPRECIATE), you’ll realise it was all worth it. My tips: home-(11) ………………… (GROW) vegetables are always the tastiest. Every good cook needs a top-quality (12) ………………… (MIX). It’s an essential piece of kitchen equipment, not a luxury. Make sure you’ve got lots of good-quality food storage (13) ………………… (CONTAIN). And, finally, remember that designing a new dish is not about (14) ………………… (SAFE). It’s about taking risks, and learning from your mistakes. Have fun in the kitchen!