Tiffany Goodall, author of From Pasta to Pancakes: The Ultimate Student Cookbook, explains how with just a few key ingredients, students don't need to go hungry or live on beans on toast. Plus download an essentials shopping list plus five delicious. recipes.
When you're living with family it’s easy to take the ingredients that fill up the cupboards completely for granted. However, when you arrive at your university halls of residence in your first year, or your flat or house in subsequent years, there is one thing that is blatantly obvious – the emptiness of the kitchen. The bare shelves and the vacant space in the store cupboards. It’s a killer. However, there are a few basic items that you can buy which will keep for ages and serve you well.
YOU WILL NEED:
Basmati Rice
Canned Tomatoes
Caster Sugar
Chicken/Vegetable Stock Cubes
Coconut Milk
English Mustard
Garlic
Ginger
Noodles
Olive Oil
Onions
Pasta
Plain Flour
Ready-made Pizza Bases
Sunflower Oil
White Wine Vinegar
Basmati Rice: So good with a curry, or to make rice with bits and bobs in your fridge.
Canned Tomatoes: An absolute necessity for any student kitchen, they are used in bolognese, soups, cottage pie…
Caster Sugar: Used extensively in baking and desserts.
Chicken/Vegetable Stock Cubes: A true must have. Used in gravy, soup,risottos, the list is endless. Chicken will be the most useful, but a beefstock cube is also good for hearty red meat casseroles and stews.
Coconut Milk: Amazing to have so you can whip up recipes such as Thai green curry, or coconut soup with chicken or prawns.
English Mustard: Perfect for salad dressings, amazing with mashed potato and as an accompaniment with sausages, burgers, etc.
Garlic: Garlic will keep in a cupboard for 2–3 weeks. It can be thrown into all sorts of dishes, from a pasta sauce to a delicious roast chicken. Crushed garlic is seriously potent and a little goes a long way, however, whole garlic cloves can be thrown into a one-pot chicken bake or roast potatoes and they gently exude their flavour.
Ginger: This adds a fragrant Thai/Asian feel to dishes. It’s delicious in an aromatic Thai duck curry or a pumpkin and peanut butter curry.
Noodles: I love egg and rice noodles, which are great for stir-fries and quick recipes.
Onions: A must must-have. Buy both red and white varieties; they havea shelf life of 2–3 weeks and should be kept in a dry place so they don’t begin to rot.
Pasta: A student favourite, pasta makes such a delicious, fast dinner.
Plain Flour: Ideal for everyday baking and for thickening sauces and gravy.
Ready-made Pizza Bases or pizza base sachets: Home-made pizzas are epic, and such a laugh to make with your mates.
Olive Oil: Great for lovely dressings or pesto, it is the most used item in my store cupboard Sunflower Oil: Great for frying, especially breakfast essentials such as sausages, or bacon.
White Wine Vinegar: A must-have for salad dressings.
DOWNLOAD THE SHOPPING LIST AND RECIPES HERE
From Pasta to Pancakes: The Ultimate Student Cookbook, by Quadrille. BUY THE BOOK