The ultimate Bristol student cooking guide

University life is chaotic. Suddenly you’re responsible for all the small, boring tasks of being an adult while also trying to juggle seminars, nights out and getting a degree all at once.

On top of that there’s also the pressure of making sure you eat your five a day,  enough protein and make a balanced meal. It’s a lot. Walking into Clifton Down Sainsbury’s can be a disorientating experience. You wander around under the harsh lights, down the stuffy aisles wondering what you’re supposed to buy and what meals you can make. But your uni cooking doesn’t have to be a boring rotation of pesto pasta and frozen chicken nuggets. Here are some easy meals I love to make that feel impressive but are realistic for student life.

Beauty of the bowl

Bowls are a great foundation for building the best student meals. They look aesthetic, they’re customisable and the perfect way to use up random ingredients in your fridge.

Burrito bowls: A burrito bowl is a classic, you can use whatever mince you prefer (I like to use chicken or beef). Cook the mince in a pan until it is browned with spices, I typically season it with garlic powder, paprika and cumin (or you can use a fajita seasoning packet if you’re feeling especially lazy), and add a spoonful of tomato paste while it cooks. Build up the bowl with rice or sweet potato, lettuce, grilled peppers and onions and smashed avocado

Miso salmon poke bowl: This dish sounds sophisticated but is actually very easy. Roast or pan fry your salmon and serve it with rice, avocado slices, edamame beans (you can buy these frozen) and sesame cucumber salad. For the cucumber salad: slice cucumber and add rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Finish off the bowl with a miso dressing made from combining: miso paste, soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. This dressing is also perfect for making miso aubergine, a delicious side dish that you can add to your poke bowl.

Greek gyros bowl: Marinate chicken in garlic, paprika, lemon juice, oregano  and fry in a pan with oil. Serve it with Greek salad (tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, red onion, feta, lemon juice, olive oil and salt), roasted courgette slices (olive oil, salt and roast in oven), tzatziki and serve with warm pitta bread on the side.

Honey garlic chicken: If you’re craving a takeaway, this recipe hits the spot. Coat mini chicken fillets in cornflour and garlic powder, fry them in a pan with oil until crispy. Then add the sauce: Honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, and ginger. It goes perfectly with sticky or egg fried rice, to taste like a Chinese takeaway but for a fraction of the price.

The sweet potato obsession

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Sweet Potatoes deserve their own category, every single one of my housemates is obsessed with them, collectively we probably eat half of the sweet potatoes in Bristol. They’re cheap, filling, and healthy, an ideal blank canvas for whatever leftovers you have in your fridge. Loaded sweet potatoes are one of the easiest dinners you can make. The key is how you cook the potato, the best way is to slice it in half and generously drizzle olive oil and salt on both sides. Place the halves face down on a baking tray and cook at 200 degrees  celsius until the outside is caramelised and crispy while the inside is fluffy. It’s simple but makes a huge difference to a normal jacket potato.

Show stopping side dishes

A simple piece of chicken or salmon can suddenly feel exciting if you add a delicious side. These are the kinds of dishes that are really impressive even though they’re actually very easy.

Whole roasted cauliflower: Amongst my friends this is known as my speciality. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius and boil a large pot of salted water, cook your cauliflower in the water for 10-15 minutes (depending on size). Drain it and let it sit for another 15 minutes. Coat the cauliflower generously with olive oil and salt and roast in the oven for around 30 minutes or until the outside is golden. You can serve it like this, but I like to add a quick tahini dressing. Mix together tahini, garlic, lemon juice, agave and water to thin it out. Drizzle the dressing on top and add a handful of pomegranate seeds to finish it off.

Giant couscous and halloumi salad: Salads don’t have to be boring bowls of lettuce, one my favourites is this giant couscous salad which goes perfectly with any meal. Cook the giant couscous according to the packet. Fry halloumi slices, courgette and chickpeas in a pan with oil. Add everything together and toss with a simple dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, honey and mustard.

Hasselback baby potatoes: Take your roast potatoes to the next level with this recipe. Slice thin ridges along your potato making sure not to cut them all the way through and boil them in salted water for 5-7 minutes. Combine oil, garlic and paprika and coat the potatoes in the mixture. Cook them in the oven at 200 degrees celsius for 45 minutes or until they are perfectly crispy.