Traditionally, soft cold foods have been recommended after tonsillectomy to aid comfort and haemostasis but, more recently, rougher foods have been advocated to promote physiologically normal deglutition. This trial was designed to discover whether post-tonsillectomy dietary advice has any influence on recovery. 150 patients due to undergo tonsillectomy were prospectively randomized to 1 of 3 diets: mainly rough food, mainly soft food, and no advice except to eat regularly. Food consumption, analgesia intake and pain levels were recorded daily by each patient. Tonsillar fossa slough and secondary haemorrhage were evaluated 1 and 2 weeks after surgery. Results of 137 patients were obtained. There were no significant differences between the diets regarding post-operative pain, analgesic required, healing rates or secondary haemorrhage. Specific post-tonsillectomy dietary advice need not be given, other than to encourage regular eating.