Class of '18 nervously waiting.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

They've left college, now we are trying not to think about a certain date.

I bought DS ‘Nosh for Students’ which is good. You measure things using cups rather then having the hassle of scales. We’ve had lasagne, potato/bacon/cheese bake (very nice), tagliatettelli and sausage meatballs, and cod wrapped in bacon (from Jamie Oliver 5 ingredient book). Tonight he fancied doing a sweet, and is doing Baked Alaska. I think DC is channelling his inner Michelin as he’s attempting all big dishes, rather than staples such as stir fry or bolognese.

The previous meal DS cooked involved every pan in the kitchen, all five gas rings and was a masterpiece of multitasking. I wouldn't have bothered with it once I'd read the recipe because there was far too much faffing about. That was the reason for the one pot cookbook. I also bought Student Eats and The Student Cookbook. My fear is that he will throw all his money at the local pizza outlet and come home looking like the Michelin man.

His course will have more free time than he's used to (I think) so he will have time to shop and plan a meal, it's just about getting into the habit. He can follow a recipe but is not so good yet at spotting the pitfalls in one, that's why I thought student cook books would be a good investment. There should be nothing in there that needs five pans and an oven.

Please can I join the wait? DS has an offer of A*AA, and although very capable, thinks he may have missed the A star. However any discussion re a plan B throws him into a sulk and accusations that I am "planning for failure". So I have taken to secretly looking at clearing for courses he might be interested in if not successful. And then beating myself up for being a helicopter parent. Can't win!

As a concession I picked up a bake in the box cake mix thing from Tesco yesterday, this breaking my rule of not buying anything until after the 16th!

Banquosghost that is tricky. What is his insurance offer? In some subjects the grade boundary for the * is awfully tight.

Thanks, his insurance is the same entry requirement - so not really an insurance! Although I've noticed in my snooping that they do have places in clearing so in my head this is Plan B!

At this stage he probably just wants reassurance that it is all going to be okay. Which I will hazard that it will be. If he is only worrying that he may have dropped the * then unless the course is heavily over subscribed he should be fine.

Banquosghost did you choose your username before or after this summer's AQA English Literature GCSE paper?

£1 meals in the Telegraph today.

Lol @TheThirdOfHerName! No English GCSE students here - just plenty of Shakespeare fans!

Banquosghost If he doesn't meet his offer he can ring up and negotiate with one place and then, if necessary, the other before starting into clearing if he needs to. He can go into school/college and do this, there will be people there who do this every year and will support him through what he needs to say. He would have to fall a long way from A*AA to not end up with any real choices.

It will all be ok, he will come up with a Plan B on the fly if he needs to.

Kitten yes I am very proud of her. I couldn't do it but she has inner steel that I could only wish for. I've explained that there will be people in front of her like her DD and DGM who will be very upset but she still wants to.

Cook book wise - I bought the first meals under a pound book on Amazon Prime Day and it is actually really good. Nice meals simplified - well worth a look. When DD went to uni last year the meal planning was the side she found most difficult. Coming back from the library and realising that she had to sort out food was the worst bit about being a student! .

I'm going to sit down with DS and work through a couple of weeks worth of menus and costs after R Day. We currently give DD £25 per week (loan plus our contribution pays for halls) for food etc and anything above that she has to fund herself - she worked before uni and does during the hols. But DS is 6ft 3 and eats constantly so I'm not sure how he would cope if we gave him£25

I think part of the learning experience at Uni is that they work out what they want to cook for themselves and learn how to shop for ingredients and cook. We don't need to do it all for them or they will never learn. I have rattled off a list of 'cheap student meals' to my DS and he's made a list. After that he can work it out for himself probably using youtube.
Don't bother with pizza cutters, a pair of kitchen scissors does the trick in a much easier and safer way.

They also need to learn to raid the end of day discount section of supermarket. My ds ate very well on reduced steaks etc

Nice recipes Ursula. We have an aubergine lurking in the fridge

I don't think there's anything wrong with practising basic cooking skills before they leave, especially for those who've not shown an interest before. I don't want dd to leave home with the same crap cooking skills I had. I ate really poorly my first year. It was my landlord in my second year that taught me how to cook.

DD has arrived at Halls this afternoon and pleased the flat is bigger than expected. Really hope they get to meet some other people there this summer. She was definitely a bit emotional going which did surprise me as lived away from home before and has been telling me since she was 13 how much she hates living in this area.

I’m going into hospital this week and she has left portions of frozen food in the freezer which is really lovely. My main worry with her is will she like and stick the course and that she’ll struggle studying again after a year out. If she can feel settled by then it will help.

Tried to offload her with a supply of courgettes and cucumbers but she was having none of it !

Good luck to your daughter Post
Why has she started to early?

Thank you. She’s gone to flat hunt as gone with her partner she met whilst travelling after GCSE’s. He’s moved over to UK to be with her so is job hunting so they need him to crack on with that and find a flat. It has added a layer of extra complications but hopefully all will be good.

Think that’s why she’s a bit emotional as not planning to come home in holidays. She’s not one. For doing things in the traditional way so we’ve learned so go with it and hope for the best !

That's quite a big step Post, it sounds really grown up so is she staying in one place while she looks for another?

I moved in with my boyfriend in the summer before second year and after a week I panicked, dumped him and went home for a few weeks as I suddenly realised I wasn't ready to be a grown up.

I also bought the Nosh book for DS, it looks quite simple to follow too. I also started an “advice book” too, bought an A to Z book and started putting in useful bits, including some of the simple things he likes to eat at home. He caught me writing in it and wanted to know what it was, then said “aw thanks Mum, that’s really sweet”.

That's lovely Bake :)

I remember that panic feeling Ursula. I felt the same when I moved in with my boyfriend after university and I was really pretty independent by then.

This limbo is horrible though isn’t it? Too scared to plan too much but not wanting to leave everything until the last minute! Oh, and trying to appear perfectly normal as well

It is a horrid time - the uncertainty about where they will be in a few weeks is awful. It suddenly hit me that it's just next month when dd leaves.

Breakfast. What will she eat for breakfast? This has been worrying me all day.

I feel for you all, have seen friends go through the uncertainty, not easy at all. Shit system if you think about it .

It does all sound very grown up, hence the her being a bit emotional I think. Not what I would have wanted to her to be honest but that’s life. They’ve lived together in his flat in Scandanavia for 6 months and he’s been in our house since February so not as much as a shock as it could be in theory. However he was struggling with homesickness before the summer and is planning to give it till Christmas so there’s that to contend with yet. Really hope DS is less complicated when the time comes. For now though DH and I are breathing a sigh of relief and celebrating getting part of our house back !