What to cook for your children coming home from university?

[feedmelondon]

Hey everyone :)

This is our first post on mumsnet, so any tips etc are very welcome!

We're a group of students working on an app that is supposed to make healthy eating as easy as possible for students, young people who have recently left home and so on. We want to provide everyone with cooking tutorials and are now looking for people who can share their expertise. While brainstorming, we found ourselves daydreaming about our own mothers' dishes and thought probably all students feel that way

...so we wanted to ask the mothers on mumsnet about what recipes your kids love coming home to, and any other tips you may have for healthy eating that you think students/young adolescents should know!

Mine always want Roast Beef or Roast Chicken, homemade lamb massaman, beef randang, beef bourginon, spaghetti bolognaise and lots of fruit!
They all know how to cook homemade pasta sauces, several soups, fajitas, stir fry anything, curries and what to do with eggs.
Although in reality I think my youngest is living on cheap pasta, a jar of sauce and beer and his sister is living on avocado on toast and pizza 😁

I went to uni as the only person that could cook and a group of friends would give me £x to get ingredients and cook a meal. Popular ones were always
Chicken pie
Roasts
Sausage casserole

When I was at uni it was always mums roast I looked forward to. I think there are a couple of reasons 1) no one makes a roast as good as your mums and 2) it as something I'd never do myself at uni because of the faff, too many pans, too much washing up, takes too long, not ideal for one etc

My mum's roast.

Yes, mine always want a roast too. Probs because it is too much effort and too expensive to make for themselves. Oh and my gravy and Yorkshire pudding has been developed through 25 years of toasts, their own gravy granule efforts and frozen Aunt Bessie's don't come near.

Sausage casserole is popular here.
I think all the main, hearty homecooked things rekindle memories of being warm and full and at home. So:
Bolognese
Chilli
Pies
Casseroles
Roasts
Curry etc.

Just coming back to this thread, but I wanted to add know about using halloumi, making great salads using tiny bits of protein but lots of veg and good dressings, able to make bread dough from scratch and to bake a basic biscuit or cake.
Also, check out local market stalls for bargains and know how to make salsa, gaucomole and tray roast veg. Tray roast veg make a great base for soup or mixed with cous cous, rice etc and topped with chicken , fish, cheese or just chilli flakes depending on what you can afford or fancy.

Lasagne
Chilli
Roast lamb (cause it's expensive!)
Roast ham/gammon

Roast again. Also fish pie - it's something everyone in the house will eat to I make a huge one.

I think you can't beat stir fries for speed, simplicity and variety. If you've got a wok, a range of spices, sauces and oils you can produce something different every time. I know DS2 would be lost without his wok at uni!

Anything other than chicken as that seems to be a catered halls staple! Usually casseroles, fish or shepherds pie, roast , basically comfort food.

Have 2DS at Uni. The requests when home are very similar to above-roast chicken, roast beef, mash, roast carrots and gravy and yorkshires. Roasties. Anything with gravy. A favourite pasta dish I make called lemon chicken pasta. My spag bol. Pancakes and bacon. Salmon on the grill. What they do not want is anything they can make at Uni-one self caters well, (athlete) the other appallingly. Chocolate cake and strawberries. Anything expensive...I do try and load them up with fruit and veg when they are home. Tend to do a veg and also a green salad with every meal to make up for student diet as unfortunately the side dishes/veg are expensive and often neglected....

Roast dinners,lots kfbackn sandwiches as bacon alwaysnsets of fire alarm in halls.

Bear in mind if you are aiming at students , their cooking facilities, time and budget may be more limited. Focus on things which can be made in batches and portions can be frozen/reheated, or have microwave or slow cooking options.