gourmet meal

Meaning

This term refers to a high-quality, beautifully prepared, and often expensive meal made with fine ingredients. It is typically associated with upscale restaurants, professional chefs, and sophisticated presentation. You can use it to describe a fancy dinner party or a special dining experience.

Examples

• For our anniversary, we treated ourselves to a five-course gourmet meal.

  For our anniversary, we treated ourselves to a five-course gourmet meal.

• He surprised his partner by cooking a gourmet meal at home.

  He surprised his partner by cooking a gourmet meal at home.

• The hotel package includes a complimentary gourmet meal prepared by an award-winning chef.

  The hotel package includes a complimentary gourmet meal prepared by an award-winning chef.

• You don't need to spend a fortune to enjoy a gourmet meal if you have the right ingredients.

  You don't need to spend a fortune to enjoy a gourmet meal if you have the right ingredients.

• The airline served a surprisingly delicious gourmet meal in first class.

  The airline served a surprisingly delicious gourmet meal in first class.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ We ate a very gourmet meal last night.

  ✓ We ate a gourmet meal last night.

  'Gourmet' acts as an adjective here but is not gradable in this context; you cannot say 'very gourmet'. Instead, just say 'a gourmet meal' or 'an exquisite gourmet meal'.

• ✗ She is a gourmet meal cook.

  ✓ She is a gourmet chef.

  'Gourmet meal' describes the food itself, not the person cooking it. To describe the person, use 'gourmet chef' or 'gourmet cook'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• The new restaurant in town is famous for serving a three-course ___.

  💡 A high-quality, high-end, and beautifully prepared dinner.

  Show answer

  gourmet meal

• I don't expect a ___ when I go to a fast-food diner.

  💡 An exquisite, high-quality dish.

  Show answer

  gourmet meal