October 2012
3 posts
One for fish lovers and veggies
Being a poor student often means settling for some food you wouldn’t normally eat, like Pot Noodle on toast or baked beans and corned beef. But for me, searching the reduced fridges in the supermarket can always be a good shout. For example, you can easily sort out a week’s worth of dinners for under a tenner. This recipe came about because I was...
Simple, healthy and tasty
This recipe will save your gut as well as your wallet. I’m a massive fan of pork fillet. A whole pork fillet will cost between £3-£4 for a good quality one, but you can get 3-4 meals out of it. Not only is it cheap, it’s very good meat that is lean and tender when cooked properly. It’s works well for this stir fry recipe because responds...
Year 2
So I made it through my first year of university and into the summer. With a heavily overdrawn account (kinda shot myself in the foot with this blog). But still, people have asked me why I haven’t update this in a while. Truth is I was working my nuts off over summer so didn’t have the time. Now I’m back to uni I can fit it into my daily routine. Please keep checking this blog...
May 2012
2 posts
Possibly the easiest recipe ever...
Following my diet, I really want something proper easy and tasty, as does everyone I suppose. But to be honest, you can’t get much simpler than this recipe here. Today I woke up at midday (I had work until midnight and didn’t get to bed until 4), so this seemed like the perfect brunch. I’m still pretty full which is good, and the ingredients are very healthy...
Feast your eyes on another blog...
http://skintstarvingstudent.tumblr.com/
This blog belongs to a lovely girl called Lexie who’s at Leicester Uni. She’s following the same style of student cooking as I, but with healthy recipes. Check it out for recipes!
As for me, I’ll be posting some new recipes in the coming days including easy chips, simple bolognaise and maybe a dessert of some sort. Lots of uni work to...
April 2012
6 posts
The easiest pasta sauce in the world
When it comes to pasta sauce recipes, it doesn’t come any easier than this. It’s a very basic cheesy mix-through sauce that is deep with the richness of olive oil with a sharp smack of lemon juice and basil. I’ve done this a few times for my mates and they’re amazed at the taste and texture you get from it. In theory, it’s essentially a pesto but so...
Lovely Homemade Tomato Soup
I’ve already done a soup recipe but I thought I’d do another on request from my sister and her friend Jess. They said that they have a thing for tomato soup. I can’t stand it from a Heinz can, it’s far too salty and fake. But this recipe is brilliant, it’s so easy and the results are quite simply stunning for just a few ingredients. The juiciest...
Banging healthy chilli
Although I’ve already done a recipe for chilli, this one is from scratch, with no shortcuts. It takes time but definitely worth it! I got this recipe from Slimming World as it’s the diet I’m following, so it’s very healthy so don’t go adding any extra oil that you don’t need. It uses 2 chillis which sounds a lot but once it’s thoroughly...
Homemade Scotch eggs
Scotch eggs are so damn good. It really annoys me that I can’t find a decent one in the supermarkets. Instead, you can only get those disgusting, dry, bland ‘savoury eggs’ that really don’t compare to traditional ones. Contrary to the name, a scotch egg doesn’t come from Scotland, but it’s the process of ‘scotching’ (coating in...
I'm baaackkkkk...
Hey all,
Things have been busy and I kinda lost my way with the whole blogging recipes. So back with popular demand (OK, maybe just a slight demand), I’m going to start posting up some of my best food for students!
Easter has been sweet, done so much cooking and eating, whilst dieting. I’ve now lost 9lbs in 2 and a half weeks, but the test is being able to keep it going throughout...
January 2012
12 posts
one for the veggies and mushroom lovers
This recipe is so quick and easy, and packed full of flavour too. It’s a traditional French recipe, in which you can use any type of mushroom you can find in the supermarket. I’ve used Forestiere mushrooms, but you can use button mushrooms.
Mushrooms on Toast
Time: 10 minutes
Effort: Minimal
Cost: Less than £1 per portion
To serve: 1 portion
...
homemade nandos
Mmm, Nando’s is probably one of my favourite types of fast food. I like it spicy, really really spicy. I’m talking the black bottle of Piri Piri sauce. But apart from Student discount and loyalty cards, it’s pretty expensive for students. Especially when you have an appetite like mine. This recipe came from nowhere, I just looked on a bottle of Piri Piri...
a beautiful brunch
Egg’s Benedict is one of those dishes that seriously gets me salivating. Crispy, toasted English muffin with ham, an oozing soft poached egg, topped with creamy and sharp Hollandaise sauce. It’s perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner and actually very simple to put together. I’m writing the recipe to make Hollandaise, but you could actually use a packet mix...
bacon, pea and cheddar risotto
Risotto is a brilliant dish. Creamy and warming with nutty rice, it’s perfect for a winter meal. It’s also very cheap to make. I did used to be scared of making risotto, it’s a very temperamental dish to prepare but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be fine. The trick is to add the water gradually, constantly stirring, until you get the desired...
very easy tomato and bacon bruschetta
This recipe is so easy, it’ll blow you away. You can serve it hot, or let it cool down and chill in the fridge for when you want it. The tomato and bacon topping can also be used as a pasta sauce when heated back up. A healthy brunch, refreshing hangover cure, or have a whole ciabatta to yourself for an easy dinner. As always with these recipes, make them your own.
Bacon...
leek and potato soup
From the people who I’ve spoken to, it seems that students eat a lot of soup. So try this recipe for leek and potato soup, you don’t even need a blender!
Leek and Potato Soup
Effort: Medium, requires some prep and patience
Time: 45minutes
Cost: Less than £1 per bowl
To serve: 2 to 3 portions, it will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge
Ingredients:
2 leeks
...
Sausage Hash
As a kid, my mum always used to make a classic dinner of corned beef hash. It’s one of those perfect winter meals that warms you up with salty corned beef and those fluffy lumps of potato. But thinking along the lines of a student, corned beef is actually now very expensive for a can. And realistically, who ever remembers to put it on their list when they go for a...
Moroccan Tagine
For those that have never heard of a tagine, it’s a Moroccan dish cooked in a tagine (conical dish) with lots of spices and fruit. It’s a lot like a curry but easier as you put all the ingredients into a casserole dish, tagine, roasting tray or even on the hob, and just leave it to cook for an hour and a half. Yes I understand that this is a long time if you’re...
Easy, cheap and tasty chilli
This chilli recipe is seriously good. The great thing about it is you use baked beans instead of kidney beans and tinned tomatoes, so it’s super lazy but tastes better than jars of chilli sauce. You don’t have to add in the onion or paprika if you can’t be arsed or you’re a hurry, but it really does add to the flavour and texture of the dish. Chilli loves...
Jonny's Naan Bread Pizza
I love pizza quite a bit, especially Dominoes. But realistically how many of us can justify spending over a tenner on a pizza just to regret it in the morning? My mate Jonny came up with this brilliant idea of making your own pizza but using a naan bread. The great thing is that naan breads are so cheap but you can get different flavours like peshwari or garlic and onion. The...
KFC for students...
I am known by my mates as probably the main reason why KFC is still making money. I love fried chicken (not as much as Michael Jackson did) but when KFC is all the way in the town centre, I have £3 in my wallet and the nearest Ken’s Fried Chicken produces sloppy inedible chicken out of a rat infested kitchen, what do I do? Make my own of course. OK,...
Waffles, lots of tasty waffles
New Year’s Day, hanging and surviving on 3.5hrs sleep. What better to perk you up than fresh hot waffles with icing sugar and chocolate sauce?
Epic Waffle
Effort: Medium, not too hard for when your starving or hanging
Time: 20 minutes
Cost: Around £1 for one big waffle
Serves: 2-3 people or 1 portion if you’re fat/hungry
Ingredients:
3 mugs of plain or...
December 2011
12 posts
Baked Bean, Bacon and Cheese Pasta Bake
I got the idea for this pasta bake when talking to my mates last night. They said that most of the time at uni all they have is pasta, a block of cheese, bacon and baked beans. So here is a combo that really will fill you up, is cheap, and even a monkey can make it.
Baked Bean, Bacon and Cheese Pasta Bake
Time: 25 mins
Effort: Minimal
Cost: £1 per person
To serve: 2 to 3...
Homemade Gravadlax
Urgh, so much dense and fatty food after the past few days of Christmas. I feel quite literally like I’m going to give birth. None the mater for that, we’re having a family meal tonight at my uncle’s and seeing as Tesco had whole salmon on offer, I bought one that had been reduced to a fiver. Half went in the freezer while the other half I decided to turn into...
a very expensive soup...
So here is Mr. Lobster, at £25 he’s a big and expensive brute. I managed to get him for £2.50 (oh the perks of working at Tesco!). Getting into the claws was literally the hardest thing ever, took me about 20 hard hits with the back of my knife. The meat is incredible, quite tough but very very good. I could have made a lobster thermidor, but seeing as...
Christmas Preparations!
Hi all, sorry for the lack in posts over the past couple of weeks. I’ve been really busy with finishing term and going home etc, but I’m back in Buckinghamshire now. Although I’ve been working this week, I’m starting to feel really Christmassy. I’m helping my nan cook on Christmas Day, so the apricot, sage and pork stuffing is...
the best scrambled eggs you will ever eat...
Scrambled eggs are so God-damn easy to make and so good, but why do people get it so wrong?! Grey eggs, no thank you. A rubbery chunk of egg, don’t get me started… For perfect scrambled eggs you need 3 ingredients; eggs, butter and a dash of milk. Not hard eh? I know this sounds all ponsey, and you make ask the question, “Why? It’s just...
Proper Heart-warming food
Today I feel like death. That is no word of a lie. I fear that if I fall asleep I may never wake up. Okay, so maybe I am just suffering from man flu but it’s not nice all the same. I needed something heart-warming and homely to combat the man flu blues. With some leftover bacon and not a lot of creative juices flowing around my head, I thought of something to cook that...
Pasta
Pasta is one product every student should have in their cupboards, for various reasons. It is versatile, easy to cook and very cheap. Toppings and sauces are endless: a silky, creamy carbonara, a spicy and rich arrabiata, or even just some olive oil and parmesan. As always with this blog, I will stress for you to use your imagination. Don’t be bond by normal cooking. Use anything you think...
Perfect Mashed Potato
Mashed potato is the easiest thing to make, but people get it so wrong! I’m sorry for being a dick here, however, I feel it right to intervene on all mash-related topics. Lumps are bad bad bad, so is dry mash, so is bland mash. So here are the quick steps to perfectly smooth mash that will have your mates crying with pleasure. Okay, maybe not quite that great. Also, this mash is dirt cheap,...
Tonight Gentlemen, We Eat Like Kings!
So my mum bought me some duck legs (2 in a pack for £2.50) and last night I decided to cook one up. Roasted it with seasoning and red wine, which was so so good. I had some sweet potatoes leftover and some butternut squash, so I made a simple mash from those two with lots of butter. Add to that some red wine gravy and some frozen fine green beans, it was heaven. Oh, and...
5 Things To Do With A Tin Of Baked Beans
Mmmm, there’s nothing quite like that hangover beans on toast is there? You know how it is. You stumble into your kitchen, uninspired but riddled with a headache and dodgey stomach. My God, that tin of beans is the saviour that we all look for. But what happens when your fridge ends up being near to empty and all you have in your cupboard is a...
Hasselback Tatties
Potatoes! Possibly the greatest vegetable there is. They’re so versatile and damn easy to cook too. Cook a perfect roasty and you’ll make your mum proud, with that crispy outer shell and fluffy inside, it’s literally heaven on a plate. And when they’re absolutely dirt cheap, why would you ignore this humble veg? But yes, I will admit,...
The Most Simple Curry
Although I love ponsy food, in my eyes a good curry could possibly be one of the greatest foods around. OK, as a student who has the money to go and get a take away for around £8 a head eh? Afterall, less money spent on food, the more money spent on vodka. Works in my mind anyway. Making your own curry is also a lot healthier for start, and it means that you can...
November 2011
5 posts
The Basics Part 1
A lot of people I know always ask me about the basics of cooking. Take my housemate for instance: the other day he asked me how to cook frozen peas. So that led me to start this section of my blog, in which I’ll write some simple and basic techniques for us students. For example, what equipment do I need? How long to boil an egg? But what if I run out of fresh food?!
So here we go.
...
The Humble Butternut Squash
Okay, so it’s now the end of November and starting to get bloody cold. Especially in my house at uni seeing as we haven’t yet put the heating on due to being stingey students. So what you need is a proper winter warmer. Hot, sweet and creamy (not sexual in anyway), the butternut squash is so so cheap and tasty. At the moment they’re about £1 a kilo in Tesco, which will buy you a...
A Fresh Start
Right, so I’ve been here at Portsmouth Uni now for over 2 months. After rinsing a lot of money on booze I realised that I’d need to start making the most of the food I had in the fridge and the cupboard. I’ve been given a few student cookbooks but to be honest with you, they’re boring as hell. Poor recipes that sound rubbish and involve things that most students cannot be...
