What advice would you give someone cooking a meal to impress a first date?

A natural way to answer

I'd say keep it simple and stick to something you know well. The last thing you want is to be stressed and flustered while they're watching. Prepare as much as you can in advance so you're free to talk, and don't be afraid to keep it modest, it's the effort that counts.

Key phrases to use

• go pear-shaped — to go badly wrong, when plans fall apart“The dinner went pear-shaped when the oven broke.”
• showing off — trying to impress people by displaying your skills or things“He was showing off his cooking skills.”
• do in your sleep — to be able to do something very easily because you know it so well“I've made this so often I could do it in my sleep.”
• bite off more than you can chew — to take on more than you can realistically handle“Don't bite off more than you can chew with a five-course menu.”