February 11, 2016, by Dushy

Disclaimer: This may make you hungry.

So in my final year I set myself the challenge of taking a picture everyday to remind me of my last year in Nottingham. However quickly this just turned into a very large album containing pictures of food. It made me realize that over the years at Nottingham I have suddenly learnt how to cook, so this blog will give you a taste of my experience in the kitchen (no pun intended!).

First Year

Ahh first year was when I got let out into the kitchen arena. I was terrified, but that first day in halls I plucked up the courage and made, for the first time, a jacket potato!

So with that recipe under my belt, I tried to live off jacket potatoes for a couple of weeks and then got told off by my mum that a potato was not a real vegetable. So I experimented, and I discovered salad bags! Yes finally “vegetables”! I abused the power of a salad bag and had it with everything. Who knew mum’s defrosted curry would go well with some salad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apparently salad still was not good enough, so another hunt around ASDA and I found microwavable vegetable bags!

 

 

However by the second semester of first year I think I was getting the hang of it. I branched out and made wedges, a pasta bake (of course sauce not from scratch), and a chicken curry – from scratch!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second Year

Moving into a house with gas hobs was a whole new freedom comparing to the electric hob lifestyle back in first year. I went wild with cooking. I challenged Nando’s with homemade nando’s chicken, homemade wedges and corn on the cob. I then tried proper meals such as: bangers and mash, stir fry and even conquered a dessert and made a banoffee pie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However with all this power in the kitchen came a lot of responsibilities. Yes I ended up growing new onions and garlic in my cupboard. You could say I’m a bit of a gardener.

 

 

Final year

This year a new wave of confidence came to me and I am actually quite shocked at the food I’ve made. I’ve tried to be healthier this year and have discovered there is more to the vegetable section at sainsburys than salad bags. Although ignore the brownie picture, that was a moment of weakness, but tasted so good! Also this year I have realised that adding some garnish to a meal makes it ten times more appealing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So for anyone out there cooking the basics, go and experiment. Unleash your inner Gordon Ramsay and surprise yourself!

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