Ideas for student dinners

[Dollygirl2008]

Hi, I'm going to start hosting international students, and they require breakfast and evening meal. I'm not sure how I'm going to get on as I work full time and am slightly concerned that I've bitten off more than I can chew!!! However, I won't know till I have a go.

My question is, what kind of meals would you cook? I'm not a massive cook as my daughter and I both eat at school/work. I was thinking of doing some bulk cooking and freezing that I can quickly heat up when I come home, but I'd be interested to see if anyone has some ideas.

Lasagne frozen then leftovers can be reheated, shepherds pie, freeze then. Ok and again leftovers to be reheated. Roast beef then leftovers however you like, egg fried rice, in a pie, sandwiches.

Where do they come from? How old are they?I think you need to speak to them to get an idea about dietary expectations. For example Asian students might not be used to pasta or might not like it and might not like the idea of reheated frozen food.

Also, if under 16, then the parent may prefer simple but ‘freshly cooked’ food everyday so slowcooker stews might be a good idea.

Lasagne, bolognaise, chilli (serve with rice or jacket potato), shepherd's pie, fish pie, chicken breasts baked in the oven and served with mashed potato, gravy and roasted or steamed vegetables.

Make sure you are aware of any dietary requirements as early as possible.

Breakfast in most countries is cold so cereals and bread or toast with milk, juice, and bananas/apples/tangerines is fine.

I imagine you learn as you along and soon pick up what tends to go down well.

Slow cooker!!

I presume you are being paid a fee for this. Are they at a local college? I would ask the organisation arranging the placements for tips about meals.
If this is a long term thing you might need to rethink your routine as you can't really get away with frozen stews for long.

I think I would keep thing simple for the first week until you get more idea of their tastes. Maybe roast a chicken or joint of gammon and Serve with roasted ne potatoes and salad. Pasta with a tomato, basil and garlic sauce. Lemon and herb chicken skewers. Pizza, salad and garlic bread. I work with lots of international students and they are generally fairly open to trying new things. But when all else fails they all tend to eat burgers, chips and pizza!

Also have a think about option for veggies - so veggie chilli, chickpea curry, pasta with pesto