Tell me about a time you tried to cook something and it went completely wrong.

A natural way to answer

I remember trying to make a roast dinner for my family. I got the timing completely wrong, so the meat was overcooked and the vegetables were still hard. Everything was a bit of a disaster, but we laughed about it and ordered a takeaway in the end.

Key phrases to use

• mess it up — to do something badly or make a mistake that spoils it“I messed it up by adding too much salt.”
• nip out — to go out quickly for a short time“I'll just nip out to get some milk.”
• go up in smoke — to be ruined or burnt, literally or figuratively“Dinner went up in smoke while I was on the phone.”
• in a blind panic — in a state of sudden, overwhelming fear or confusion“I ran around in a blind panic looking for the keys.”