Cooking for Students

Student budget

Students spend an average £29 a week on food according to the 2005 Unite Student Experience report, which sounds like quite a lot - until you realise that seven £4 lunches would swallow that easily. And the high-fat, carbohydrate-laden diet in most university halls and pubs isn't going to do your health or your appearance much good either, leaving you lethargic and prey to winter bugs.

Confident cooking

Cooking may sound daunting but it's a doddle, really. If you can write an essay or pass your A-levels, you can follow a recipe. You can cook a simple pasta sauce, for example, with a tablespoon of oil, a clove of garlic and a tin of tomatoes for less than half the price of the pasta sauces sold in jars - and it'll taste much better. It couldn't be easier - or quicker - to rustle up a plate of scrambled eggs or to make a spaghetti carbonara (pasta with egg and bacon sauce). It takes minutes to wash and dry a lettuce and make a simple dressing that will cost you a fraction of the price of a pack of salad leaves.

If you have an oven you can even make a slap-up Sunday lunch. Simply buy a tray of chicken legs and thighs and roast them in a big tin with a little oil and garlic, turning them occasionally and chucking in a few sausages halfway through. You don't even have to carve. Make a simple gravy by dissolving a teaspoon of Marmite in a mug-ful of boiling water. Melt a tablespoon (15g) of butter, stir in a tablespoon of plain flour and stir in your Marmite stock, bring it to the boil and there you have it. Sounds weird but it works.

Five a day

Getting the recommended five fresh fruit and veg a day might seem like an insuperable hurdle but if you try to incorporate some in each meal it's not that hard. A glass of orange juice for breakfast, a salad at lunchtime, an apple or banana as a snack during the day and a portion of frozen peas with your dinner and you're almost there (frozen veg are just as healthy as fresh ones). Stir fries are also a really tasty way of upping your intake. You don't need prepared stir-fry sauces either - just shake over some light soy sauce (which you'll find is cheaper in small ethnic grocers and Chinese supermarkets).

Cheap fruit isn't always of great quality, but if you add a little sugar or cook it briefly you can make it taste fantastic. Plums, for instance, are often hard and unripe but if you stone them, cut them into chunks, stir fry them in a little butter, sprinkle over some sugar and pinch of cinnamon and cook them for another minute you won't believe how different they'll taste. Serve them on toasted malt bread with a dollop of plain yoghurt for a real feast!

The essential kit

With these basics to hand, you'll be a kitchen whiz in no time. Print the list out and take it with you.

Store cupboard essentials

Tinned baked beans
Dried pasta
Tinned tomatoes (whole ones are cheaper than chopped ones)
Dried oregano (the most subtle of the dried herbs)
Extra virgin olive oil for salad dressings and drizzling over veggies (use a basic oil for cooking)
Red or white wine vinegar
Dijon mustard
Light soy sauce
A jar of Moroccan spice mix (Mix 4 tbsp each of ground coriander and cumin with 2 tbsp ground turmeric and 1 tbsp of paprika. Use 1-2 tsp at a time.)
Marmite (for gravy, see above)
Vegetable bouillon powder for stocks and soups
A couple of tins of pulses such as red kidney beans and chickpeas
A head of garlic
A couple of onions
Five things to keep in your fridge
A fresh lemon or two for zipping up sauces
Some fresh parsley or coriander (cheaper from ethnic grocers)
A chunk of parmesan or grana padano (a cheaper parmesan-style cheese) - cheapest from Italian delis
Plain, unsweetened yoghurt for topping spicy dishes and fruit
A box of free-range eggs
Essential kitchen kit
A large frying pan
A large saucepan for cooking pasta, rice and soups
A small saucepan for cooking eggs and gravy (not at the same time, obviously)
A small, sharp knife (and a slightly bigger one if you can afford it)
A couple of wooden spoons
A spatula
A chopping board
A grater
A can opener
A couple of mixing/serving bowls
A sieve or colander (for straining pasta, rice and veg)
Many department and hardware stores have good offers on basic kit from time to time. Check out charity shops and discount stores too.

Persuade someone (your parents being the obvious candidate) to pass on or give you:

A kettle
A toaster
A wok
A double-sided electric grill
A hand-held blender (for soups and dips)
Some measuring spoons and a measuring jug
A pepper mill (with a supply of black peppercorns)