10 things you need to know
about cooking at uni
by Fiona Beckett                      

If you’re off to uni this autumn cooking is probably the last thing on your mind but it’ll pay to get a few recipes under your belt before you go. If you’ve been living at home you may not realise just how much prices have gone up recently or just how difficult it is to feed yourself healthily on a student budget.

Here are a few tips to get you started.

* Take a wok. All sorts of things can be cooked in a wok not just
stir-fries. Stews, soups and pasta sauces to name just three. Most halls don’t have ovens so one pot dishes are the way to go.

* Roast a chicken. If you do have an oven, roast a chicken and live off the leftovers for a couple of days. (Cook the carcass up for stock to make a soup or risotto)

* Put away perishable food in the fridge after you’ve finished cooking so you’ve got a meal the next day. Mix pasta with a sauce or dressing to stop it sticking together. Save leftover rice for egg-fried rice.

* Cook in bulk. Make a big batch of mince then divide it into portions
for the next couple of nights. (If you can freeze it, better still)

* Club together. £21 a week (the amount NatWest estimates that students spend on food) doesn’t go far but £42 isn’t bad for two people and £84 will feed 4 quite easily. Saves you cooking every night too.

* Develop a show-off dish. Even if you aren’t a great cook learn how to make something really well. A risotto, say, or a flashy fish recipe.
Nothing like being able to cook to impress the girls/boys.

* Take a packed lunch. Always cheaper than buying a sandwich in a student bar or sandwich shop. Probably healthier too.

* Have breakfast. Stops you bingeing on muffins mid-morning - and helps you concentrate on that early lecture. Porridge is perfect and doesn’t take long to make.

* Find out where your nearest street market is. Much cheaper than
supermarkets for fruit, veg and fresh herbs

* Keep your olive oil (and anything else expensive and non-perishable) in your room. Obvious reason. It’ll get nicked otherwise.

Fiona Beckett is the author of the Beyond Baked Beans series of cookery
books and runs the student cookery website www.beyondbakedbeans.com which has regular competitions and prizes to be won.

You can buy her books on Amazon.co.uk