A tale of two students……..

1. A tale of two students…….. Kate’s tale…… I set off to Uni very confidently last term – a new way of life, independent of my parents – home when I like, eating and drinking what I like, seeing who I choose, – utter bliss! However, the reality was somewhat different. After a fantastic fresher’s week of drinking and partying, real life began. I stocked up on pasta, pasta sauces, baked beans and ready meals, which was fine for a while, but I soon got bored of them and the time it took to prepare food to eat on my own, so I resorted to buying ready-made sandwiches for lunch and take-outs for dinner. This way of life was fine until I realised by Mid-November I was completely broke and I had a month to go! What was a girl to do? I started eking out the pasta and grating a tiny bit of cheese on top; I bought the cheapest bread from the supermarket and toasted it with beans; when they ran out I found a squeeze of ketchup was good, and when that ran out, well I found a jar of apricot conserve at the back of a cupboard, and it was only 18 months past it’s sell-by date, heck, that would be fine wouldn’t it? All the while I was scrabbling around trying to find something cheap and half decent to eat, I was dimly aware of a boy who had moved in down the hall from me, he seems really shy and quiet and we occasionally pass in the hallway. He is always hurrying past with his hessian shopping bag. I dismissed him as the local hippy, probably eating chick peas and kelp, but I couldn’t help notice the wonderful aromas that wafted from under his door……. Joe’s tale….. There’s this girl I pass in the hallway some days. She is cute, but she looks like she needs a good meal. I will pop down to the farm shop tomorrow, it’s quite expensive, but I know all the vegetables are organic, and the meat is farm assured, and will be so tasty if I turn it into a goulash, with some dumplings, then I can bulk it up with some vegetables and have a nice soup. I might ask that girl if she wants to come in and share it with me. Kate’s tale…… I’ve just been asked on a date, only it’s to sit in that quiet boy’s room with his slow cooker – bit weird…… LATER that day…………

2. I have just had the most delicious plate of goulash and dumplings! Joe says it is really easy to cook and he is going to show me and the rest of the guys here how to make it so that we can take it in turns to cook each week. We are going to try out different recipes from the Heart Kitchen website and see if we can create delicious meals for each other and save a few quid so that we can still afford to go to the student union bar after!! Joe’s tale….. I seem to have got myself a job teaching a bunch of students how to cook simple nutritious meals whilst saving money to spend on beer! Still I think I have won a crowd of new mates, and might have found a girlfriend…….