I’ve been interested for quite a while in the trend of having a kitchen garden. Growing your own is making a huge comeback like never before.

However, as a student in the current UK climate, while in student accommodations, I cannot guarantee always to have a garden, or to stay in that garden. And also, with the current housing market, the sensible thing for BP and I to do is wait, renting a flat, until the overpriced houses go down in price.

The solution, of course, is to plant in pots.
As a very frugal thing, I often save the odd yoghurt/fromage frais pot, which are super for starting seedlings, and a tray from fruit/veg/meat/fish keeps water off window-ledges or carpets.

Once I’ve washed out yoghurt pot and tray, I poke holes in the underside of the pot with a craft knife (but a compass would actually be better). Fill the pot with soil/compost and place onto the tray. Water an amount into the tray and wait for the compost to soak this up, then plant the seed and water it in with about a teaspoon water.
You can purchase 100-day plant food sticks dirt cheap (excuse the pun) but they won’t be organic. To be extra frugal, I’d recommend not adding a food stick until the seed has germinated.

I planted some Cayenne chilli peppers today into the empty Basics fromage frais pots.  Keep posted for news on these little sprouts.  Also, to come soon, any news on my living parsley, and on Monday I’ll be getting some strawberry plants!

In the last 12 months, my tastes have changed a lot. I rarely ate fish, chocolate was a daily staple, and I’d laugh at thinking I could crave vegetables.

But here I am, changed tastes and all. And because of this, I’ve hit a huge dietary brick-wall. My diet consisted mainly of comfort food. Hearty, wholesome, and most definitely meant for the winter.

In the hot weather we’ve had since last week, nothing in me has craved my usual staples. My mind has turned to “summer food” - and about 90% of my repetoire feels absolutely useless.

I am scouring my books and magazines for summer inspiration that isn’t barbeque. As much as I love barbeques, they are hardly every-day food. Light, uncloying is the order of the day. At least my salmon is still lovely - if not better - eaten on hot days.

Ice cream is now permanently in my freezer, and ice cream sauce is waiting to partner it in my storecupboard. Alongside it, the ever versatile chicken, in breasts, diced and legs, for however tickles my fancy. Salad is also starting to look ever more attractive, although is impossible to have in the fridge (there is no space left for me in the salad draws). So, to avoid this, I’ve bags of frozen stir-fry vegetables in the freezer for when necessary.

So, my search brings me to a number of recipes to try:
Thai chicken with lime
Pasta with spinach sauce
Salmon rocket pasta
Bulgar wheat salad - made with veg not leaves
Stuffed chicken
Skewered chicken with dressing
Crispy spicy meat

That should be ok to be getting on with. Can’t wait to be trying out these things, as well as sampling some of the more summery offerings from the supermarkets (more Basics coming soon). Photos have been uploaded on earlier posts - the student meal planning posts

Continuing my experiment, ‘Basics Living’. Here is my second review set.

Fruit Scones (Basics range - 34p 10 pack)
These were smaller than your average bought scone, and had little fruit (sultanas) in. I ate them plain in a lunchbox, and found they were quite dry without any butter/cream/jam - isn’t any scone? I found them to be an average scone, certainly worth the small amount of money.

Vegetable Lasagne fresh ready meal (Basics range - 79p also 4 for 3)
This is the picture from the front of the pack, as I didn’t get chance to photograph this one on my plate. It did look mostly like this - but the top didn’t brown, even though I cooked it in the oven, and the layers didn’t stay together. Tasty, healthy - perfectly ample ready meal. Not the best Vegetable lasagne I’ve ever eaten, but it’s good food.

Maccaroni Cheese fresh ready meal (Basics range - 79p also 4 for 3)
This pale dish did not even taste of cheese. I was terribly disappointed. It was little more than pasta in bechamel sauce. A definite miss - the only Basics product so far I’ve refused to eat.

Spaghetti Bolognese fresh ready meal (Basics range - 79p also 4 for 3)
Although this disappointed me, it was ok. What came out of the tray was a basic spaghetti in a meat sauce. I was only disappointed because I like my bolognese sauce to taste more tomato-y. I wouldn’t buy this again, but that’s a personal thing, so I’m calling this a success anyway.

Strawberry Yoghurt pot (9p for 125g pot)
Like any average strawberry yoghurt might be. I was impressed with the real strawberry pieces in it, although they weren’t very many. The taste was mild, as you may imagine, but some people enjoy it this way. This is a perfectly ample strawberry yoghurt - a great trade off if you are on a tight budget and a nice cheap extra dairy portion.

Sorry for the lack of photos - it takes a number of work-arounds to get them from the camera, transfer them and reduce the stupidly-high filesize.

This is a great variation on a meaty pizza.  Satisfyingly different, but comfortingly similar.  It’s a garlic lamb flatbread.

Before I start with the recipe for the flatbread, let me draw your attention to my standard pizza recipe.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
Pizza dough
3 tbsp garlic butter
450g (1lb) lamb mince
Two handfuls fresh parsley

1. If your’re making your own garlic butter, make it first.  While I do make my own, BP and I both agreed that the ratio of butter to garlic wasn’t right.  While I did smell and taste beforehand, it turned out to need some work.  Chill until needed.  This can be made way way ahead.  Use a scraping of this garlic butter ( whatever’s left on the fork after making it is fine) to grease the baking tray.
2. Make up your pizza dough.  I use a packet mix, because it saves me being so disappointed when I haven’t quite enough flour or something like that.  I frequently get caught out like that.  Anyway, pull into the size of your greased baking tray and leave your dough to rise for the recommended time by your recipe or mix.
3. 5 minutes before the dough is risen, take out the garlic butter from the fridge so that it softens to spreading consistency.
4. When the dough is risen, spread over the garlic butter.  Doesn’t need to be even, but does need to be all over the dough.
5. Now crumble over your lamb mince, then your parsley.  The lamb mince wants to be crumbled as finely as you have the patience for.  Also, I keep a plant of parsley and pick off the parsley while my dough is rising.  Apparently, parsley is really good for you, so I guess the more parsley the better.
6. Bake the flatbread for 20 minutes at 200C on the highest position in your oven.  Then enjoy!

BP and I have this recipe as a main course for the two of us.  He’s really pleased as it feels so much like a manly dish - a good tide-over until barbeque season arrives.  I’d also serve this as a nice sharing snack next time BP has the boys over for card games.  They’re in for a treat because I also have a pack of chicken wings for them that’s far too big for the two of us.

I reckon this dinner will be a hit with any family/friends who like pizza or garlic bread and meat.  I’ve mentioned before that I don’t like meat on pizza, but I really love this.  A great advantage is that it tastes quite different from pizza so you feel like you’re eating a nice variety of food.  However, at the same time, both cooks and eaters will be reassured by the similarities to pizza.  Another is that you can keep most of the ingredients in a stash and cook up the dish when you find reduced or on-offer mince.

Even though the meal planning didn’t quite work out, I am still here to review the purpose of my experiment, ‘Basics Living’.  However, this is turning into the first of a series of frequent reviews, rather than the one first expected.

Battered Fish (Basics range - 96p 4 pack)
This was minced pollock inside a batter shell. Unfortunately, the fish was tough and rubbery, not very appetising, but edible none-the-less. You try some, and unfortunately you lose some. Next time, I’ll be looking for some whole-fillet instead of minced.

Fromage Frais (Basics range - 46p 6 pack)
This was six little pots of fruit-puree fromage frais, although not as much fruit as in other ranges. I found these just as tasty as any brand I’ve tried. The only problem I had with them was they are far too small to eat just the one. I’ll be having these again, but first I’ll try the bigger yoghurt packs.

Chicken kiev (Basics range - 83p 2 pack)
This was a buttery garlic sauce contained in a minced chicken shell and breadcrumbed. Again, it was just as tasty as any other kiev I’ve eaten. I had no problems with this and I’ll gladly eat again and again.

Chicken soup can (Basics range - 18p)
This was a tasty thin chicken soup, with small chicken pullings in it.  The taste was like any other chicken soup, but it was too much on the watery side.  It’d be good reduced down a little more.  I’d try other varieties before this again, as own brand is often really cheap anyway (around 35p)

Tortellini with Basics tomato pasta sauce (26p)
It does what it says on the jar - it’s basic tomato pasta sauce.  It’s tasty, tastes of tomatoes, blends well with plenty of other flavours.  It’s not wow, but it doesn’t need to be.  It’s just your average, pure, tomato sauce.  You could even add your own herbs and spices to it to make it special.  Verdict - you won’t catch me buying any other plain tomato pasta sauce - why pay more?.

My only conclusion so far is that the Basics range is a little hit-and-miss.  Some foods are great, some are ok for the price, and some are just not worth any money at all.  For this reason, whenever I eat a new Basics range product, it will appear in a Basics Living review, and also, an up to date page will be kept, listing hits and misses - check it before you buy.

Pictures tonight

Bought a bunch of bananas from my local greengrocer van, and to celebrate this beautiful product, I came up with three ways with them, all delicious, tasty and easy:

Number one - choco baked bananas:
Banana, chocolate drops, foil.
Cut a slit right down the banana and stuff the slit with the chocolate drops. Wrap tightly in foil. Place in 200C oven or on a barbeque after cooking all main meals. Cook for 20 minutes, then scoop out the melted choc and soft hot banana insides to eat!

Number two - banana muffins:
These banana muffins have strawberries included (the red flecks) and were made with buttermilk. Although my recipe said ‘12 muffins’, I made 30 small cakes! Very delicious.

Number three - banana cake:
Shop-bought loaf cake, banana, (sugar)
Cut the loaf cake into slices, and place banana slices on top - great eaten cold like that, or sprinkle some sugar on the top and grill until warmed through.

Current menu planning, with stuff already bought:
Wednesday: Tortellini pasta
Thursday:
Friday: Pan fried lamb/pork and tomato couscous
Saturday: ,
Sunday: Egg and chips, Chicken kiev
Monday: , Pizza
Tuesday: ,

That’s 3 dinners and 3 lunches to fill, plus some lunchboxes, extras, desserts and breakfast.

Still reviewing the Basics range, to fill the dinners slots, I’ve chosen a deal (4 for 3):
Basics fresh ready meals (79p each): Maccaroni cheese, Spaghetti bolognese, Beef lasagne, Vegetable lasagne. That fills the dinner slots.

Lunchboxes, I’m planning cream cheese and salami, so there’s Basics salami (99p) to be had. Also, Basics strawberry yoghurt pots (9p).

Desserts: Ice cream is in the trolley, along with sauce, Basics rice pudding (19p), and Basics strawberries (99p for 250g). I can buy fresh fruit from a stall on any weekday.

Extras: Part baked rolls (2 for £2), Basics scones (34p 10 pack)

Lunches: Soup (going up the range - not basics), Noodles, Supernoodles

Hence, Full Menu Plan:
Wednesday: Tortellini pasta, chocolate
Thursday: Vegetable Lasagne, ice cream and sauce
Friday: Pan fried lamb/pork and tomato couscous
Saturday: Soup + rolls, Maccaroni Cheese, strawberries and chocolate
Sunday: Egg and chips, Chicken kiev, rice pudding
Monday: Noodles, Pizza, ice cream and sauce
Tuesday:  Soup + rolls , Spaghetti bolognese
Lunchbox: Cream cheese and salami sandwiches, yoghurt pots, scone and jam, strawberries
Breakfast: Scones, banana muffins, golden graham cereal, toast,

While I’m shopping at Sainsbury’s, I’m playing ‘the Basics game’ - only buy Basics range or offer items. While I’ll be relaxing that rule, here’s how to menu plan with these in mind.

I start with the offer items. Note down those you want for meals/extras against days of the week you plan to eat them. Stop when you have reached the end of offer items.

Then, look at the days you don’t have anything down for. Trawl through the Basics range (a longer search than offer items, it seems), picking a meal for each slot left.

Finally, review what you need to have fro extras - snacks, lunchboxes, and use Basics/offers to fill these spaces in much the same way.

As one last point, as a student, cooking for one is enevitable sometimes. So when I cook for one from a 2 pack/ 4 pack, I plan that dish to appear again, same time next week. This also gives me less slots to fill next time, and hence less money spent.

I’ve been eager to try out the Sainsbury’s Basics range for a while now, and I took my chance today. It’s Sainsbury’s absolutely-the-cheapest range - with some astounding prices! So at our local Sainsbury’s, BP and I played a new game. The rules are simple - if it isn’t “Basics” or on offer, we don’t buy it.

Most of the Basics range are aimed at students. Student food, student prices. No messing about, just plain products. Although there are household items and other things in the range, I was mostly interested in the food.

The aim of my endeavor was to prove, or not, that the Basics range could be lived off - and how cheaply.

I carried out the first stage of my investigation online from MySupermarket.co.uk
I found myself spoilt for choice, and even had to restrict my criteria by pretending not to be able to/bothered to cook. This, sadly, failed in practice because I couldn’t get a home delivery slot.

So, on to the supermarket went BP and I. It was for his benefit mostly that the “on offer” rule was introduced.
We broke the rules only twice:

• Once because I really wanted to treat myself to a new whisk
• And secondly, because sweetcorn is my absolute favourite veg in the world and I had to have it

I spent £15 on over 20 items. BP spent £12 on 10 items.

Here’s how we did it, and how we’re menu planning: Items bought on 2-4-1 will be repeated each week until they run out

• Wednesday night: Chicken fajitas (chicken 2 @ £6, fajita 2 4 1)
• Thursday night: Battered Fish (Basics range - 96p 4 pack)
• Friday night: Lamb flatbread (made from ingredients previously bought)
• Saturday lunch: Chicken soup can (Basics range - 18p)
• Saturday night: Roasted trout (made from ingredients previously bought)
• Sunday lunch: Egg and chips (ingredients already bought)
• Sunday night: Chicken kiev (Basics range - 83p 2 pack)
• Monday night: Pizza (frozen snack pizzas 2-4-1 offer £2.1
• Tuesday night: Pan fried pork (ingredients already bought)
• Wednesday night: Tortellini with tomato sauce (fresh pasta 2-4-1 offer £1.99, Basics range sauce 26p)

Other meal planning:

• Breakfast items: Bake at home rolls
• Lunchbox items: Fromage Frais (Basics range - 46p 6 pack), Wheat Crunchies crisps (10 packs 2-4-1 offer £1.65)
• Dessert items: Canned mandarin segments (Basics range - 11p), Canned fruit cocktail (Basics range - 15p), Ginger cake/Golden-syrup cake (2-4-1 £1)

Review post next Thursday with pictures

A while back, I wrote a post of the extra practicalities a freezer causes for students.
Read that original post here.

However, after another albeit less painful experience, there is one more point students need to be very careful about.

It doesn’t take a genius to work out that if the door isn’t closed, the freezer won’t be freezing your food properly.
Last night, a flatmate of mine left the freezer door ajar.

Students - it could happen to any one of you.  Last year, twenty of us used the same freezer.  Be sure your flatmates know to properly close the freezer door, or you may lose your food.
This is wasteful, costs you money to replace, and you may just be faced without a meal when you should have had one.