Equipping students to fend for themselves at university
Although it was many years ago now, it feels like only yesterday when I first left home to go to university. It was the first step towards independence. In my second year, I moved in to my first house it was an exciting moment and felt very grown up.
I was fascinated by my other housemates eating habits: one boy only ate frozen French bread pizza; another ate cooked breakfasts all day, which was glued to- gether by the fried eggs; the girl I lived with only ate pasta and when she had friends round it was always sausage and mash, which used to take an inordinate amount of time to cook. We never ate until 10pm. By my third year I shared a house with four boys and, to be fair, most knew the basics of cooking, bar one who very sweetly decided to cook for me one night and put microwave plastic contain- ers in the oven. He opened the door to a puddle of melted plastic and burnt food… I ended up cooking!
For my part, I was lucky enough to have gone to Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland during my gap year. My parent’s philosophy was that if I learnt at least one practical skill then I would have something to fall back on in life. I have never been more grateful to them and it has stood me in good stead over the years. Having this culinary knowledge meant I knew how to cook balanced meals on a budget, rustle up an impromptu dish from a fridge that looked empty and plan a meal so it was served on time. It also meant that our
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house became popular for parties; every- one wants to go to a house where they might get half-decent food. During every university holiday I could use my skills to earn money as a private family cook, enough to cover term time costs and even enough to buy my first car. If you are a parent considering a cookery course for your child before they go to university, or before they start their second year, there are plenty of cookery schools offer- ing key skills classes. It is worth thinking about what students wish to gain from the experience; if it is just the essentials to survive at university a one or two-week course will suffice; if it is to be employed as a cook during university holidays it’s worth looking at a course that is no less than four weeks so they really understand cookery skills. Many cookery courses are residential and make for a fun time away which is an added bonus. Some options include: Orchards, Leiths, The Grange, Ballymaloe, The Avenue, Edinburgh New Town Cookery School, Food of Course and Tante Marie.
These days with so many food pro- grammes, social media and cookery books, young people are far more in- formed about food and the importance of a balanced diet than we may have been at university. It does not mean, however, that they have the skills to execute a dish. It is worth teaching the very basics of cookery at home to ensure your son or daughter doesn’t live off frozen pizza and cooked breakfasts. I would recommend the fol-
lowing subjects:
1. Egg cookery: A cheap and useful source of protein, simple eggs such as scrambled, fried or poached are great at any time of the day. While egg dishes such as omelettes, tortillas, quiches and baked eggs with tomatoes will keep students fuelled for the day.
2. Basic meat cookery: Teach students to cook a whole chicken and then how to strip it and use all the parts. A whole chicken is far more economical than buying chicken parts and the options are endless: chicken noodle soup (using stock made from the chicken carcass), chicken pie, chicken jambalaya, chicken mayonnaise in a sandwich or baked po- tato filler and chicken curry to name but a few. Mince is also very versatile and inexpensive, it can be used to make: cottage pie, spaghetti bolognaise, lasagne, hamburgers, meatballs and much more.
3. Sauces and soups: Essential sauces such as a white sauce (béchamel), a good Italian tomato sauce and pesto can be adapted in so many ways. Likewise, knowing how to make a veg- etable stock and a chicken stock can form the base for many dishes, includ- ing a healthy soup or casserole. Teaching students how to thicken sauces using flour or eggs is also very useful.
4. Vegetable cookery: This is especially key, as vegetables are far cheaper than meat. Teach essential skills such as
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