Student meal's don't have to be bland, having a few different seasoning options is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to add flavour to your cooking! Here are some of our favourites:
1) Garlic – Can be used raw or in powder form to completely transform the taste of almost any meal, add it to sauces, marinades for meats and fishes, in salads and to season vegetables. We recommend this Schwartz Garlic Italian Seasoning which can be bought from Tesco at £1.60 for 43g. 2) Chilli Flakes – If adding fresh chillies to your meals is too much for you to handle, this is a great alternative that adds just the right amount of spice as long as you don’t go crazy with it. It’s great to add to any sauces or soups. Our top tip is to add some whilst boiling pasta or rice along with some olive oil to add some light spice and extra flavor. We recommend the Tesco Crushed Chillies at £0.85 for 28g. 3) Paprika – Paprika is used as an ingredient in numerous dishes throughout the world. It is principally used to season and rice, stews, and soups, such as goulash, and in the preparation of sausages, mixed with meats and other spices. It tastes great sprinkled over fries too! You can buy it at any supermarket such as Sainsbury’s at £1.00 for 44g. 4) Italian Herbs – Italian seasoning is a delicious mixture of different spices, which are used mostly for Mediterranean dishes, including sauces, meatballs, lasagne recipes, and more. A typical blend would include dried basil, dried marjoram, dried oregano and dried sage. Can be found in Sainsbury’s at £1.00 for 14g. 5) Vegetable Seasoning – Has a very versatile use in soups, one-pot dishes, meat, fish, vegetable dishes or casseroles. You can use it for preparing marinades and breadcrumbs and season practically any meal. We strongly recommend Kucharek which is really cheap. Add in your pasta, couscous, bulgur wheat and anything you cook in general, really helps transform a meal! Find it at most supermarkets including Tesco at £0.79 for 200g. 6) Piri Piri – As a result of the great success Nando’s has had over the years the demand and use for piri piri in the kitchen has risen. P iri piri serves as a marinade for fish fillets, for meat and for poultry. Spice up savoury dishes with a dash of piri piri. Experiment adding it to dishes that are a little bland. Substitute your usual spice mixture with piri piri instead. Nando’s offers a wide range of products in supermarkets ranging from marinades, sauces and rubs. Our favourite is the Nando’s Peri-Peri salt which can be purchased from Tesco at £1.90 for 70g.
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Our 5 top picks of foodie Instagram's for recipes, inspiration and recommendations, check them out and make sure to follow us @studentfoodlife__blog, click the logo below for our page! KAR-SHING TONG (@ks_ate_here) Follow this guy’s adventure over London to find the best stacked burgers, fried chicken and creamy pasta, all the comfort food your heart can desire! From street food to fancy restaurants as well as up and coming brands like mother flipper and dumpling shack, Tong has got it covered, so what are you waiting for… check it out! FOOD BIBLE (@foodbible) I mean who doesn't follow this Instagram right? But just in case you don't, this is a reminder you are missing out! This page has everything from restaurant recommendations around the whole of the UK to home tutorials, and the food looks incredible and is always a wide variety of cuisines. FOOD 52 (@food52) This one is popular with a lot of celebs from Gigi Hadid to Leighton Meester! With all homemade inspiration and a link to get instructions for every recipe and shop the ingredients, cooking some wonderful homemade student meals was never easier. THE FEED FEED (@thefeedfeed) Not just food but baked goods and drinks, this page is an all rounder! They tag all the pages of the photos they use so you can go and find the recipe and more pictures super easily. TASTY (@buzzfeedtasty)
Our personal favourite! Not only does this page serve up all the inspiration, it gives you a step by step video on how to make the most innovative and tasty goods! From meatball stuffed garlic bread to Churro ice cream bowls, this page really has everything and so much more. 1. German Doner Kebab Friar Street RG1 1EP This German food chain have been rapidly growing in popularity across the UK, and for good reason, their Kebabs are delicious and feel much lighter and healthier than your typical “greasy” kebab van. Coming from Berlin, the home of the Doner Kebab, they certainly know how to deliver one of the UK’s favourite takeaways. They have a restaurant available to dine in or offer delivery services via Deliveroo. 2. Milano’z Pizza Wokingham Road RG6 1JL Big name pizza brands like Domino’s and Papa John’s are often too expensive on a student budget, which is why we love Milano’z so much. They offer amazing pizza at a cheaper rate than the big chains, while being in walking distance of campus and the student residential area. The pizza’s are highly customisable with a huge array of toppings and are available either by collection or delivery. 3. 7 Bone Burger St Mary’s Butts RG1 2LG Our favourite burger in Reading, 7 bone offers many delicious variations of burgers including truffle, blue cheese and cheesesteak variations. Seasoned and loaded fries offer the perfect side compliment that help differentiate 7 Bone from your typical burger and chips dinner. Available to dine in or deliver on Deliveroo. 4. Finn’s Traditional Fish and Chips Hatherley Road RG1 5QE Our pick for the best fish and chips in Reading! Located inside the university student residential area, it provides the perfect location to quickly grab a tasty dinner. Serves fresh fish cooked right in front of you and offers a variety of gluten free options at cheap prices. Rated 4.5 on Trip Advisor, available for collection only. 5. Sizzling Spice
Christchurch Road RG2 7AZ Located right next to the university campus by SportsPark, this is our pick for an Indian in Reading. They offer all the classic Indian dishes at an affordable price at a convenient location. They even have a bar inside! On Sunday’s they offer an “all you can eat buffet” which is ideal if you wish to end your week indulging on some delicious food. They also offer home delivery for a lazy night in. All recipes are super easy and cheap, so give them a go and make sure to post them and tag us so we can see your results!
1. APEROL SPRITZ Ingredients: Ice 100ml Aperol 150ml prosecco Dash of soda water Orange (for 2 glasses) Recipe:
2. SEX ON THE BEACH Ingredients: Ice 50ml vodka 25ml peach schnapps 50ml orange juice 50ml cranberry juice Recipe:
3. WOO WOO Ingredients: Ice Lime 50ml vodka 25ml peach schnapps 100ml cranberry juice Recipe:
4. PORNSTAR MARTINI Ingredients: Tesco’s premixed pornstar martini (£10) Passion fruit Cold glass Recipe:
5. PIMMS Ingredients: 200ml pimms 600ml lemonade Mint leaves Cucumber Oranges Strawberries Recipe:
1. Tasty - The official YouTube channel of all things Tasty, the world's largest food network. From recipes, world-class talent, and top-of-the-line cookware, they help connect food lovers in every way they interact with food. They offer a wide-range of videos ranging from a 31 One-pot Recipe’s, Romantic Three-course Dinner You Can Make In 30 Minutes to Four Recipes To Host The Best Taco Night Ever. One of our favourites being 20 Recipes you should learn in your 20’s linked below: 2. Food Insider - The place for all thing’s food-related: recipes, hacks, good eats, and more. They have great videos including 32 Places You Need To Eat In London, The Best Burger In London and a How It’s Made series. One of our favourites being 9 Easy Meals Anyone Can Make linked below: 3. Twisted - Twisted is the home of outrageous, delicious fun. From creating recipes, you can’t stop consuming to hanging with the world’s biggest stars, they don’t take themselves too seriously and believe that life tastes all the better for it. They’ve got a lot of great video playlists including Sandwich Recipe’s, Snack Ideas and Ultimate sharers. One of our favourite videos from them is 13 Life-Saving Hangover Snack Ideas because nothing is worse than waking up with a dreaded hangover after a night out. Twisted are here to help with these life-saving hangover snack ideas to soak up all the alcohol from the night before: 4. SORTEDfood - Everyone’s best mate in food. A global community of food lovers helping each other cook and eat smarter every day. They post new videos every Sunday & Wednesday at 4pm - either filmed at their studio in London or from somewhere near, far or wide. Examples of videos include 3 Chilli Con Carne Recipe’s Compared, Reviewing Christmas Gifts for Foodies and 3 Creative Chicken Salad Recipe’s Compared. One we definitely recommend watching is How To Make The Perfect Scrambled Eggs – 3 Ways, linked below: 5. Student Mealz - Student recipes, easy recipes, cheap recipes, delicious recipes, they have it all! Every Wednesday they post an easy recipe video (with a touch of comedy). So, don't forget to subscribe for silly fun, delicious and cheap recipes! Here you can find a lot of easy recipes for delicious and cheap meals. If you're on a tight budget or are just looking for something interesting, then you've come to the right place! Their recipes include vegetable quesadillas, avocado chicken wraps and healthy loaded fries. One of our favourites is the creamy mushroom pasta sauce which looks incredible and would go great with some chicken or meatballs paired with pasta or rice! Link below: 3 ways to impress that special someone without breaking the bank… Dazzle your date with a home cooked 3 course meal, and don’t worry if you're not the next Gordon Ramsay. Below is a sample menu which costs under £11 (that's just over a fiver each) and requires no previous cooking experience! Starter : mozzarella sticks and tomato chutney 12 mozzarella sticks from Tesco for just £1.00! Just stick them on a baking tray in the centre of a preheated oven for 8-10 minutes at 170°. Allow to stand for 30 seconds before serving. Add a spoonful of Branston Mediterranean tomato chutney (£1.50) if you're feeling super fancy. Main : steak, chips and side salad Boswell farm beef steaks are just £1.99 each, fry each side for between 2-5 minutes depending on how rare you like your steak! Serve with some Mccain extra chunky home chips (£1.45) which take 26-28 minutes on 210° and some Tesco house salad £1.00 (to get in at least 1 of your 5 a day). Dessert: GU dessert pots Lastly , the best part of every 3 course meal… THE DESSERT!! GU has an extensive range of amazing dessert pots which also costs just £2.00. Choose from chocolate melting middle, salted caramel cheesecake, sticky hot toffee pudding, key lime pie and many many more. Next up we have 5 recommended sit down meals in Reading, starting with our cheapest option and working our way up to our most expensive for those who have a slightly bigger student loan…
Finally a fun alternatives to cooking your date a meal or taking them out for a meal… making them cook their own meal! Why not make the cooking into a fun activity for you both to do and make HOMEMADE PIZZAS!!!
Below is a basic dough recipe along with a selection of toppings and prices so you can make this meal as cheap or as expensive as your budget will allow, have fun! Ingredients: 500g of plain flour (60p) 1 tsp salt (35p) ½ tsp dried yeast (85p) 400 ml warm water 1 tsp oil (for greasing) (£1.10) TOTAL: £2.90 Instructions:
Topping ideas: Passata - 75p Grated mozzarella - £1.90 Pepperoni - £1.00 Mushrooms - 95p Onions - 12p Sweetcorn - 50p Chicken - £1.99 Red pepper - 45p Ham - £2.00 Spinach - 95p Ricotta - £1.20 *all ingredients based off Tesco prices February 2020 1. Wet you knife before cutting an onion Everyone knows onion’s make you cry whilst chopping them, and for some people it makes slicing them nearly unbearable. However, less people know that these “onion tears” are caused by the release of an enzyme into the air, which can be easily countered by wetting you knife before slicing. Water limits the vapours released by the onion for a tear-free cooking experience. 2. Cook your garlic bread in the toaster Sliced garlic bread often takes 10 minutes in the oven, a genius way of perfectly cooking it is in the toaster! After all, the toaster’s job is to cook slices of bread so why not utilise this for a favourite student side dish. 3. Using Bananas to ripen other fruit A little-known kitchen hack is that bananas release a gas called ethene which causes other fruits in your bananas vicinity to ripen quicker. Therefore, it’s always useful to stock some bananas next to your other fruit to maximise their taste! 4. Cool your drinks with wet kitchen roll in the freezer An essential student drinking hack, a metal can of beer or cider can be served ice-cold in a matter of minutes by wrapping it in kitchen roll, running it under the tap and placing it in the freezer. Within 10 minutes the tin becomes ice cold as the water absorbed in the kitchen paper rapidly turns to ice. Simply remove and bin the kitchen paper and enjoy an ice-cold beer or cider at your pre drinks! 5. Stock Cubes
A kitchen essential that can deliver a huge punch of flavour to even the simplest meal, stock cubes takes up a tiny amount of space in your kitchen and never go off, so no need to worry about expiry dates. Combined with leftover vegetables and/or meat, a stock cube and rice can make a easy flavoursome dinner. |
AuthorsDavid Green, Bonnie Duggan and Jessica Sandhu - Students at the University of Reading Follow us on Instagram @studentfoodlife__blog
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