What was in Jan's Pan?
September
a and a new chapter begins...
It’s all rather quiet in our house. After 20 years of full-time motherhood both my boys have grown and flown, and once again it’s just we two, hub and I.
Son number one, already living in the Big Smoke, is well into the path of his chosen career. He’s starting an exciting new challenge working as a chef de partie, setting up a new restaurant in a luxury London store (and I’m always on hand for taste testing, of course).
Youngest son, on the other hand, has joined the wave of new students setting out on the next stage of their lives, as they head off to university. It’s the perfect introduction to the real world - daunting but exciting in equal measures.
Freshers’ week has been a huge learning curve: boxes to unpack and rooms to furnish, roommates to meet and friends to make, matriculation (had to look that one up) and course enrolment, student loans to manage, plus new clubs to join - not to mention socialising and burning the candle at both ends. Good thing he’s been practicing all summer, but even my boy admits he’s all boozed out after his first week of full-on partying. Now it’s time to settle down to the real business of student life.
First, and most importantly, what’s for dinner?! For many, these young adults are cooking and fending for themselves for the first time. At a stage of life when hunger is constantly knocking on your door, that can be a huge challenge. No more meals appearing instantly on the table, it’s down to them to put food on their plate.
Skills vary enormously across his new flatmates. Some are living on frozen pizzas, others are more confident and able. But they will learn from their peers and muddle through. Everyone has to eat - what better way to get to know your fellow housemates? Even studying Home Ec, soo many years ago, I learnt far more from my fellow students than I ever learnt on the curriculum. If in doubt there’s always Tik-Tok (oh so different to my student days).
Many parents loaded their children up with said pizzas, or left them with a big fresh food shop. Good intentions aside, they need to learn how to shop and budget for themselves from the off. Cooking from scratch is actually cheaper and doesn’t have to be difficult with some good store cupboard basics and simple recipes. My boy’s done well so far, considering he couldn’t see the point of cooking when it’s his mother and brother’s profession. Back home, in his view, why crowd the kitchen?
Meals mainly feature sausage, mince and pasta so far, but he’s surprised himself with the knowledge he has absorbed from a home where cooking is constantly on the go. But hunger is a great driver, and he’s starting to plan ahead. There are things he’s never had to consider before, like taking things out of the freezer well before dinnertime, or knowing that meat can’t be refrozen once it’s thawed. But if he can get through the term without a bout of mild food poisoning he’s done himself proud.
Whilst I will miss them both and will have to adjust to new routines and empty rooms at home, there are positives. I no longer need to pander to the needs of a ravenous teen wanting protein and carbs, keeping a well-stocked fridge full of ‘fillers’ to satisfy his humongous appetite. Not only a reduction in costs for us, but we can finally eat more veg-centric food that’s suitable for middle-aged appetites with midriff spread, rather than a carb-heavy protein rich diet designed to meet the demands of a growing teen seeking to build muscle.
It’s a new chapter for us all, but one to embrace, so no more tears and let’s rejoice - my job is done for now, I’ve grown two adults.
With all this in mind, here is this week’s offering
Top tips for student survival and in praise of Spag Bol - the most versatile of student meals
1 Stock up your store cupboard
- Pool resources where possible, bulk buy things like pasta and rice and cook together if possible, it’s a great way to make friends. How about a student ‘Come Dine with Me’?
- Buy flavour enhancers: soy sauce, chilli sauce, tomato sauce, spices and dried herbs
2 Brush up on a few food hygiene essentials
- Prepare and store raw and cooked food separately
- Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold
- Reheat foods until piping hot
- Cool foods quickly to store in the fridge or freezer
- Change dishcloths and tea towels frequently
3 Make good use of the freezer
- Batch cook foods, or freeze excess food rather than throw it away
- Freeze cooked rice - great for egg fried rice, but reheat it thoroughly
- Freeze leftover cooked potatoes - perfect for a fry up or for instant mash
4 Tinned and frozen foods are your friend
- Stock up on plenty of tinned beans and tomatoes
- Frozen peas or sweetcorn are nutritious and can be quickly cooked and added to dishes
6 Learn to make a good spag bol from scratch with minced beef and tinned tomatoes, and add red lentils to your recipe to make the meat go further
- Perfect with pasta and parmesan
- Add chilli and a tin of kidney beans to make chilli-con-carne
- Top with mashed potato for cottage pie
- Stuff into a tortilla or flatbread for burrito
- Top tortilla chips and grate over Cheddar for nachos
- Pile on top of potato wedges