Why your dish didn't score well: 6 common mistakes

Published on 4 November 2026

Your dish tasted good, yet the score is average? Most of the time it isn't the taste: it's what shows. Here are the six most common mistakes, sorted by the four criteria of the Verdish jury: presentation (30%), faithfulness to the recipe (25%), visible technique (25%) and appeal (20%).

1. A plate served any old how (presentation)

Everything piled in one place, smudged rims, an overloaded plate: presentation counts for almost a third of the score. Leave some space, group the elements, wipe the rims.

2. A main ingredient left out or swapped (faithfulness)

The jury compares your dish with the recipe you chose. A missing or swapped main ingredient lowers faithfulness; it doesn't make the dish off-topic, but it costs points on that criterion.

3. Uneven cooking (visible technique)

Pale pieces next to over-browned ones, a split sauce, vegetables cut every which way: technique shows in the photo. Even cuts and golden browning earn points.

4. A dull dish (appeal)

Everything in the same beige or brown tones is less tempting. A fresh herb, a colourful vegetable or a drizzle of oil at the last moment wakes the plate up.

5. A dark or blurry photo

The jury doesn't taste: it judges from the photo. In dim light or with a shaky hand, even a beautiful dish loses points. The right habits: taking a photo of your dish with a phone.

6. A photo the jury refuses

Three cases, with no score and no XP: the jury saw no food (or saw a photo of a screen), the dish doesn't match the recipe, or the photo has already been judged. Just take a new photo of your dish.

Next time

Each judge leaves you a tip: it's the surest way to improve from one dish to the next.

Transparency: the judges are characters; their reviews and scores are generated by artificial intelligence. The jury can get it wrong, especially on a dark or blurry photo.