Jamie Oliver believes in really thinking about what you're eating. 'So many people can't say if something is sweet or sour, hot or spicy, soft or crunchy, because they've never stopped to think about what the stuff they put in their mouths every day actually tastes like.' But everyone, not just chefs, can get loads more enjoyment out of food by really savouring all the different flavours and textures.
 

Dead tasty

The tastebuds on your tongue are wired to pick up on just four basic taste sensations – sweetness, sourness, saltiness and bitterness. So every food you eat, whether it's fishy or fruity, chocolatey or cheesey, fits into one of those groups, as well as having its own distinctive flavour.

Try a taste-and-texture test. Next time you take a mouthful of pizza, close your eyes and think. Something salty? That's the olives and anchovies. See if you can suss out the sweetness of the tomato and the bland smoothness of the mozzarella. And then you might focus on the savoury chewiness of pepperoni or the sharp, sour tang of capers and light fragrant flavours of herbs.

Picking out individual flavours and textures takes a bit of practice, but doing it makes meals a whole lot more interesting. Soon you'll start to notice real differences. Take vegetables. Do you reckon that one veg tastes much the same as another? Wrong. There's a terrific range of flavours, some unexpected, like baked field mushrooms which are fantastically juicy and meaty, and peas, shallots and carrots which are amazingly sweet. When you next have vegetables, let them linger on your tongue and see if you agree.

Next Page: Fantastically fragrant    
 

The dish Jamie asked the kids to react to, during selection for the Cheeky Chops project, was deep-fried oysters with fried rocket and tomato dressing. This incredible starter also includes horseradish, garlic and Tabasco, and manages to be crunchy, soft, sour, sweet and salty, all at the same time. No wonder so many wannabe chefs were lost for words.