#182 Serving Home-Cooked Meals｜French Dining Phrases

When you invite friends or family to your home, there are many situations where you may want to serve homemade food.

In France, mealtime is not simply about eating; it is also an important opportunity for communication. If you can use appropriate French expressions when serving food or asking for feedback, you can build a closer connection with the people you are dining with.

In this section, I will explain useful French expressions you can use when serving homemade food, together with conversation examples and key grammar points.

Dialogue

A

J’ai fait un petit plat maison ce soir.
（I made a small homemade dish this evening.）

B

Ça sent très bon ! Qu’est-ce que tu as préparé ?
（It smells wonderful! What did you prepare?）

A

C’est un gratin de légumes maison. Dis-moi ce que tu en penses.
（It’s a homemade vegetable gratin. Tell me what you think about it.）

B

C’est délicieux, vraiment.
（It’s delicious, really.）

A

Si tu veux, tu peux en reprendre.
（If you like, you can have some more.）

B

Oui, volontiers. Merci beaucoup.
（Yes, gladly. Thank you very much.）

1. Telling Someone You Prepared a Meal

When you serve a home-cooked meal to friends, I recommend using expressions such as the following:

The adjective “petit” means “small” or “a little,” but here it creates a modest and polite nuance, similar to saying “It’s just something simple.”

In French, “home-cooked food” can be expressed as “plat maison” or “cuisine maison.” While both mean home cooking, they are used slightly differently:

In situations like serving food to guests, “plat maison” usually sounds more natural because it refers to the actual dish you prepared.

A related expression is “fait maison” (homemade), which is also very common.

2. Explaining What You Cooked

When someone asks what you prepared, you can explain it like this:

The structure “C’est ～” is a basic pattern meaning “This is ～.” After that comes the dish name.

The word “gratin” refers broadly to oven-baked dishes. By adding “de légumes (vegetables), you specify what type of gratin it is.

In French, dishes are often introduced using this pattern: “Dish name + preposition (de / à / au / aux) + ingredient”

3. Asking for Feedback on the Food

When someone is eating your cooking, you may naturally want to know how it tastes.

“Dis-moi” is the imperative form of dire (to tell) and is used with people you are close to.

The pronoun “en” replaces a phrase introduced by “de + noun.” Here, it replaces something like “du gratin” (of the gratin).

4. Offering Seconds Politely

When you want to offer more food, it is important to avoid sounding forceful and instead leave the choice to the other person.

The phrase “Si tu veux” means “If you want,” and helps soften the suggestion.

Summary