Speaker A. As for me, I love cooking. I can’t say I cook very well, but my grandmother and mother are very good cooks. I love it when they have some time to teach me. We gather together in the kitchen and start cooking something tasty. It doesn’t matter to me what it is. It can be some soup or pastry or meat. It feels like magic. Stirring and mixing, turning some raw products into a tasty meal. My mum and grandma tell me their life stories while cooking, and I feel part of my family.

Speaker B. I can’t say I love cooking very much, but I’m a student and I’m often short of money. I can’t afford eating out regularly. Neither can I buy ready-made meals as they are usually more expensive than homemade ones, so I have to cook. I cook very simple dishes as they need only the basic ingredients and they are normally quite cheap. It’s not that expensive to mix a salad or cook some rice at home and it’s easy. Thanks to cooking I have enough money to buy new clothes.

Speaker C. I used to eat out a lot, and then there was a period in my life when I ate a lot of fast food as it was cheap and quick. Consequently, I put on some extra weight. Of course, the obvious solution was to go to the gym, but the coach said no. Having regular training sessions was not enough to get the body of my dreams. I needed to eat the right food. Cooking is a great way to do it as I know exactly how much fat there is in my dish. Now I slim again.

Speaker D. I love cooking. To tell the truth, I do want to become a professional cook one day. I love watching Jamie Oliver’s shows, and I have his recipe books. Every weekend, I try one of his famous recipes. It’s sometimes not very cheap, but usually, it has very simple and affordable ingredients. I hope to be like him one day and work in a posh restaurant. I’ll cook the most complicated dishes ever and win numerous awards. That’s my dream, and I work hard to make it come true.

Speaker E. I’m very good at cooking. In fact, I think I can cook practically anything from scratch. Still, I don’t like to cook on a regular basis. I’d rather get a takeaway on an ordinary day. However, it’s different when it’s Christmas time. I cook for 20 people every Christmas. Meat loaves and chicken loaves. Candied carrots. Mashed and creamed potatoes. Puddings. I can go on and on. The list is endless. I love it when people admire my extraordinary dishes.

Speaker F. To my mind, cooking is a very boring and time-consuming chore. You have to plan what is to be cooked. Then you need to buy all the ingredients and spend about two hours in the kitchen to get a decent meal. Mind you, you’ll be complimented only if it tastes good. I spend most of my day outside and I literally don’t have enough time to come home for dinner. I’d rather grab a sandwich and a local delicatessen. My friends say it’s unhealthy, but right now I’m okay.