Living On a Student BudgetJames KingExpert Student Advisor of Student Accomodation in London

Lasangne

Lasagne is a simple and very easy dish to prepare, all of the ingredients can be sourced for low cost. Lasagne can be frozen and reheated for the future use

Recipe – Ragu

2 tbsp olive oil900g/2lb minced beef2 onions, roughly chopped

4 sticks celery, diced (optional)2 garlic cloves, crushed2 level tbsp plain flour150ml/¼ pint beef stock1 tbsp redcurrant jelly (optional) or 1 tsp sugar3 tbsp tomato purée1 tbsp chopped thyme2 x 400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes

Lasagne Cont’dWhite Sauce

•50g/2oz butter•50g/2oz plain flour

•750ml/1¼ pints hot milk•2 tsp Dijon mustard•50g/2oz parmesan cheese, grated

•salt and pepper

For the lasagne

•10-12 sheets lasagne•75g/3oz mature cheddar cheese, grated

Preparation methodPreheat the oven to160C/325F/Gas 3.For the ragu, heat a large frying pan until hot and add the oil. Cook the mince until browned all over. Remove from the heat and transfer to a plate. Add the onion, celery (if using) and garlic to the pan and cook until softened. Return the meat to the pan and stir in the flour. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Add the redcurrant jelly (or sugar), tomato purée and thyme, then stir well.Technique: How to brown mince

Watch technique1:23 minsStir in the canned tomatoes. Bring to the boil again, cover and simmer in the oven for 1-½ hours, or until the beef is tender.For the white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and cook over the heat for one minute. Gradually whisk in the hot milk, whisking until thickened. Add the Dijon mustard and parmesan cheese and season well with salt and pepper.For the lasagne, put one third of the meat sauce in the base of a 2.3 litre/4 pint shallow ovenproof dish. Spoon one third of the white sauce on top. Arrange one layer of lasagne sheets on top. Season. Spoon half of the remaining meat sauce on top and then half of the white sauce. Put another layer of lasagne sheets on top, then the remaining meat sauce and remaining white sauce. Sprinkle over the cheddar cheese.Leave for six hours before cooking so that the pasta can start to soften.Preheat the oven temperature to 200C/400F/Gas 6.Cook in the middle of the oven for about 45 minutes- or until golden brown on top, bubbling around the edges and the pasta is soft.

Source BBC, 2013

Butternut Squash Pasta1 Whole butternut squash (peeled and diced)1 Pack of feta cheese (diced)1 Pack of fusilli pasta (I use whole wheat as healthier)1 Jar of pesto (red pesto is nicer than the green)

Method

Cut the butternut squash up into chunks, peel and take out the seeds. Roast in the oven with some olive oil for 45 mins at 200C/Gas 6 (this can be prepared in advance).

Cook and drain the pasta, add all the ingredients and stir well.Serve hot or cold.

Sausage Casserole• 450g (approx) braising steak or 1 pack of sausages,

cut into chunks• 1 onion• 1 clove garlic (crushed)

• 1 heaped tbsp flour• 225 g (approx) chopped root vegetables such as carrot,

parsnip, potato, sweet potato

• 570ml beef stock• 1 tbsp tomato puree• dried herbs

Method

Put the oven on first - 180C/Gas 4.Use a casserole dish that can be put on a hob (or use a saucepan for the first bit if you only have a ceramic or pyrex oven dish).Fry a chopped onion in some oil and then fry your meat or sausages, so the outside is brown (braising steak is good chopped into 2cm cubes). Add the onion back in (and garlic if you want) and a heaped tablespoon of plain flour - mix it round. Now add 300 ml of the beef stock. Add in any combination of chopped carrot, potato, sweet potato, swede or parsnip. Give it a little stir and bring to the boil.

Now flavourings - add a tablespoon of tomato puree and one teaspoon of dried herbs - mixed is fine, but thyme is tasty too.Now put in enough hot stock to make sure everything's just covered and put it in the oven. After 15 minutes, put the lid on the casserole.

Cook beef casseole for around 90 minutes, or 60 minutes for the sausage casserole - or until the vegetables have cooked through. Longer cooking makes the meat more tender, but don't let it dry out and burn, so add more stock if needed. If you use big chunks of vegetables, allow extra cooking time.

Live Better For Less

• Living cheaper can be easy if you know how. Living as a student, especially within London can be tough. Don’t let your pocket rule your diet!

Students living in London, Oxford, Glasgow or any of the big university towns are able to eat health, and live for less with a little planning and know-how.

Live Better For Less

• Living cheaper can be easy if you know how. Living as a student, especially within London can be tough. Don’t let your pocket rule your diet!

Students living in London, Oxford, Glasgow or any of the big university towns are able to eat health, and live for less with a little planning and know-how.