Learn English useful for talking about cosy meals and winter comfort food. Practise everyday phrases for describing cravings, warm meals, and food that makes you feel comfortable in cold weather.
SBS Learn English will help you speak, understand and connect in Australia - view all episodes.
This lesson is suitable for intermediate-level learners. After listening, test your knowledge with our quiz.
Learning notes:
Examples of phrases you can use when talking about winter food:
- It’s freezing today. I need something to warm me up.
- I could really go some hot soup right now.
- I made a bit batch of soup last night.
- It really hits the spot.
- Nothing beats a hot meal when you’re this cold.
- I’ve been craving Tom Yum soup for days.
- I always make a big pot of rice to go with the curry.
- Lentil soup with bread really hits the spot after a long day.
- Nothing beats a home-cooked meal.
- I’m all about comfort food in winter.
Colloquial expressions:
If something warms you up, it makes your body feel warmer. We often use this phrase when talking about food or drinks.
To take the edge off something means to make it less strong or less uncomfortable. You can ‘take the edge off’ a lot of things, such as pain, or hunger or cold.
If you say, ‘I could really go (for)‘ something, you really want it at that moment. It’s very common informal way of talking about something you really want at that moment.
If something hits the spot, it is exactly what you want or need at that moment.
If you say ‘nothing beats’ something, it’s the best. Nothing is better than it.
If you’re all about something, it means you really like it or that it is super important to you.
Vocabulary:
Comfort food is the kind of food that makes you feel warm, relaxed and happy. These are meals we often enjoy in cold weather, or when we need a little extra comfort.
Freezing means very, very cold.
A craving is a strong feeling of wanting something, usually a specific food or drink. It's not just being a little hungry. You can say that you have a craving when you have a strong desire for something specific.
Transcript:
(Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript)
When I was young, my family ran a noodle restaurant. I remember that every day in winter we’d enjoy a hot bowl of noodles together. So even now, when the nights get colder, I find myself really wanting… craving… a warm bowl of udon.
Hi, I’m Kate, and in this episode, we’re practising everyday English you can use when talking about winter comfort food.
Comfort food is the kind of food that makes you feel warm, relaxed and happy. These are meals we often enjoy in cold weather, or when we need a little extra comfort.
Let’s join Allan and Claire. They’ve just stepped inside from the cold, shaking off the chill and thinking about something warm to eat.
Allan: Wow, it’s freezing today. I need something to warm me up.
Claire: I know, right? I could really go some hot soup right now.
Allan: Same here. I made a bit batch last night. It really hits the spot.
Claire: That sounds perfect. Nothing beats a hot meal when you’re this cold.
Allan: Exactly. I’m all about comfort food in winter. I’ll heat some up now...
When it gets cold, what do you feel like eating? Do you go for a hot soup or something slow-cooked and hearty?
If your food is hearty, it is warm, filling and satisfying.
Let’s look at some other phrases we can use when talking about winter and food. Allan first said,
Wow, it’s freezing today. I need something to warm me up.
It’s freezing today. If something is freezing, it’s very, very cold. Of course, we also use the word ‘freezer’ for the coldest part of the fridge, but hopefully you’re not that cold! Freezing technically means when something is so cold it turns hard. Like when water turns to ice.
You can use the word ‘freezing’ to describe the weather or how you feel. For example,
- I need a jacket; it’s freezing outside.
Or,
- My hands are freezing.
So, whenever you feel very cold, you can say it’s freezing. Allan also said,
I need something to warm me up.
If something warms you up, it makes your body feel warmer. We often use this phrase when talking about food or drinks. What ‘warms you up’?
For me, whenever I’m cold, a cup of tea warms me up. You can also say,
- I need something hot to take the edge off.
To take the edge off means to make something less strong or less uncomfortable.
In this case, Claire wants something warm so she doesn’t feel cold. But you can use this phrase in many other situations as well. For example,
- I went for a walk to take the edge off my stress.
Here, Allan is going for a walk to make him feel a little less stressed.
Next, Claire said,
I could really go some hot soup right now.
If you say, “I could really go” something, you really want it at that moment. It’s very common and natural way to talk about cravings.
Cravings are very strong feelings of wanting something specific, usually food or drink. You can say that you have a craving for something when you have a strong desire for it. For example,
- I could really go something spicy. I’ve been craving tom yum soup for days.
Allan then said he made soup last night, but he used a different phrase. He said,
I made a big batch last night.
A big batch is a large amount of food, like soup or stew, usually to share or to eat later as well. For example, when Claire cooks her family’s favourite dish she...
- I always make a big batch of rice to go with the curry.
Allan also said,
It really hits the spot.
If something hits the spot, it is exactly what you want or need in the moment. For example,
- Lentil soup with bread really hits the spot after a long day.
So, when something feels just right, you can say that it hits the spot.
Let’s go back to our dialogue,
That sounds perfect. Nothing beats a hot meal when you’re this cold.
If you say ‘nothing beats’ something, it’s the best. Nothing is better that it. For example,
- Nothing beats a home-cooked meal.
You can use this phrase to talk about your favourite things. For example,
- Nothing beats a hot bath on a cold day.
Finally, Allan said,
I’m all about comfort food in winter.
If you’re all about something, it means you really like it or that it’s super important to you. For example, I’m all about quick and easy dinners because I don’t like spending a lot of time in the kitchen.
Sign up for previews, updates and to provide feedback.
Paul Nicholson and Lily O'Sullivan voiced the characters of Allan and Claire, and Professor Lynda Yates was our educational consultant.
