When you move away to university, you quickly have to learn how to live independently – that includes paying the monthly bills, using the washing machine, cooking your own meals at your student accommodation in Ormskirk, and doing the weekly food shop.
Deciding what to write on your shopping list can be tough, but the trick is to strike the perfect balance between healthy, easy, and cheap.
Unless you’re staying in one of our gold rooms here at McComb Students, which comes with a studio kitchenette, you’ll benefit from a fully-equipped communal kitchen.
Before you take pen to paper, check what you’ve already got in the fridge, freezer, and kitchen cupboards to make sure you’ve got space.
Here we share the ultimate student kitchen essentials to ensure you never go hungry, waste food, or break the bank.
6 must-have items for your student kitchen
1. Bread
Whether it be a white or wholegrain bloomer, breakfast bagels or crumpets, or oven-top muffins, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for in the bread aisle at your local supermarket.
However, a fantastic way to keep your costs to a minimum is to go shopping in the evening. Most stores reduce the prices on items that need shifting before the end of the day, allowing you to purchase fresh produce for a fraction of the price.
If you’ve already got a loaf open at your student accommodation, you could pop it in the freezer. Simply ping it in the microwave to defrost when you’re ready to use it. This way, you’re spending less and wasting less. Win-win.
2. Pasta
Fancy a hearty meal after a busy day of lectures? Perhaps you’re looking for a simple snack to keep your energy levels up before you head out the door for football training or a run?
Pasta is a key ingredient for many delicious dishes – ranging from spaghetti Bolognese to lasagne and macaroni cheese. Whilst it comes in all shapes and sizes, penne and fusilli are usually the cheapest. So buy them in bulk and stow them in your kitchen cupboard.
As long as you mix it up with different sauces and ingredients, you’ll never get tired of eating pasta. One day you could make tuna pasta salad – and the next – mix it with some sizzling sausages and create a sausage pasta bake. For the vegetarians amongst us, why not add cheese and broccoli?
3. Milk
Is there anything worse than pouring yourself a bowl of cereal only to realise that someone used the last of the milk? Okay, so perhaps that’s a tad dramatic, but it’s mighty frustrating.
To save you many a household argument, it’s worth buying milk in bulk. UHT milk can last for months before opening, which makes it a fantastic addition to your kitchen cupboards. It’s also available in most forms, including full-fat, reduced-fat, low-fat, and skimmed, and costs much less than fresh milk.
So, next time you’re doing the food shop, pick up a few cartons of long-life milk off the shelf. That way you can always make yourself (and your mates!) a brew at your student accommodation in Ormskirk.
4. Beans
When you need something to eat fast, you can’t go wrong with baked beans on toast. They’re an excellent source of fibre and protein, and available to buy for a cheap price – especially the supermarket-own variety!
Kidney, butter, pinto, and chickpea are also types of beans that count as one of your five a day and form the basis for chilli, jacket potato fillings, or even just a quick snack when you haven’t got time to cook something from scratch.
5. Frozen fruit and veg
When you think about healthy food, you probably think of fresh fruit and crunchy vegetables bursting with colour and flavour, right?
Whilst fresh fruit and veg is arguably better for you and tastes better than frozen – the chances are a busy student will come home to a bowl of brown bananas, solid satsumas, and shrivelled strawberries.
With that in mind, it makes sense to buy frozen produce. In fact, some things, such as peas, sweetcorn, and berries, are better to cook from frozen.
6. Chocolate
Though not a kitchen cupboard essential, having a bar (or box!) of your favourite chocolate can be the perfect pick-me-up after a long, stressful day. You can either indulge alone in your room or share with your housemates on those rainy nights when you’re stuck indoors watching Netflix. It’s entirely up to you.
If you’re not planning on sharing your sweet treats, perhaps consider hiding them at the back of your cupboard or, better still, in the mini fridge in your room at our Ormskirk student accommodation.
Add these six things to your shopping list, and you can’t go wrong!
Want to know more?
The team at McComb Students is always on hand to help and will be more than happy to guide and advise you. Why not check out our recent blogs? Here you’ll find a range of posts covering various topics – from tips and tricks to Netflix recommendations, places to eat, things to see, etc.
If you’re yet to secure student accommodation in Ormskirk, get in touch. We’re already taking bookings for 2022/23 and would hate for you to miss out on luxury accommodation for an affordable price.
