Starting university #1- FOOD.

Starting university is daunting for anyone, whether you're living at home or moving into halls, moving to an entirely new city or staying somewhere familiar. Even the people that start university knowing some people will find it scary- because it is! For a lot of people, it's going to be the first significant length of time you have away from your parents and entirely dependent on yourself. There's a whole host of skills you suddenly have to learn or put into practice- washing, cleaning, cooking, studying, making new friends- and for a lot of you, it will be the first time you've used those skills in years, if ever!

Food

Because food is the way to everyone's heart, isn't it? And even if it's not, it'll make you feel better no matter how university has started off.

No fear, I'm here to help. We can't really teach you how to cook but we can tell you that everyone is in the same boat- and a shared meal is not only a good way to use everyone's cooking skills to produce something edible, but it's a good way to make friends. What better way to bond than laughing over the fact you've set your pizza on fire? (No joke, that's a thing that can happen. Don't put the cardboard or foam of your pizza base in the oven!)

Before you even start, try and establish a budget for food. It's all well and good to say you'll spend a bomb on food because you really love burgers, but when you get to week 6 and your loan has run out because all you've eaten is McDonalds, you'll regret it. There are some food items you don't expect to cost loads but do- cheese, meat and fresh veg can all be very expensive if you're not savvy about it.

Be wary of using recipes advertised for students on websites used by proper adults. They tend to think that students have a lot of time and energy- and in freshers, you really won't. The sudden change to early starts, sorting out paperwork and making new friends is exhausting- so don't push yourself to make fancy meals straight off! Think cheap, cheerful and quick- and if it's healthy, extra points to you. A personal favourite of many students is spaghetti hoops on toast with cheese.

Before you start university, think about what you like to eat at home and whether you can cook that. Then think about whether you'll be able to afford it and if there are any substitutions you can make to make it cheaper- whether that's buying cheese in a block and grating it yourself, making it from scratch or just not buying the ready meal version, there are always ways to make cooking at uni suitable for all budgets. Most major supermarkets have basics ranges that are cheaper, healthier and to be honest, just as tasty- they're just missing the fancy packaging. Processed foods tend to be more expensive because you're paying for the processing- it might be cheaper to make it yourself if you have the time available.

Try to cook in batches and plan your meals ahead of time. Fresh stuff tends to go off quicker than you think it does, especially when it's just you eating it instead of your entire household, so it's easier to bake those fresh veg into a pie you can freeze than worry about them going off in the fridge and having to clean. If you can, share with friends- that way you don't have to buy tiny amounts of milk, you can buy in bulk, save money and save it from going off.

If you're especially savvy, try and aim for the shops around 7pm- that's when most of the items with close sell by dates will start getting reduced. You can always freeze items before their sell by date so long as you eat them as soon as you defrost them (and only defrost things once, don't refreeze them!).

BUY IN BULK.  Pasta, tinned tomatoes, frozen vegetables- they'll all be on offer at some point or cheaper to buy in larger packets, so if you have the space, go for it. Always read the price per unit on the sales tag- whilst buy one get one free might seem great, they might be priced higher than buying the same amount but in one packet, just to confuse you into spending more money.

Now, less about food and more about safety, because getting ill at university is the worst:

1. Be careful about reheating takeaways. If it's been left on the side all night, zapping it in the microwave is NOT going to kill those germs- store it in the fridge and keep safe.
2. Don't reheat rice. Just don't.
3. Make sure things are piping hot all the way through when you're cooking, especially meat. That way you know you've killed off the nasties.
4. Use by dates aren't really there for fun, especially when it comes to dairy, yoghurt and meat. If you freeze it before the use by date, fine. If it's been sat in your fridge for a week, not fine.
5. DON'T EAT MOULDY FOOD. You might think it's ok to rip the mouldy bit of bread off, but that mould has produced toxins that have seeped into the rest of that seemingly fresh loaf. Let it go. 

Last of all, don't forget to treat yourself. Two for Tuesdays are there for a reason after all.

Love Katie