9 ingredients every student needs

Tinned tomatoes A true necessity. Brilliant for simple pasta sauces, perfect for pizza toppings and essential in my Bloody Mary Bolognese – guaranteed to cure a hangover!

Garlic and onions As a student it’s important to be able to make a simple tomato sauce, for example, then cheaply turn it into something sensational – garlic does this. We love red onions, which are slightly sweeter than white, but they’re both fantastic for bulking up a dish and have a shelf life of two-to-three weeks, so that makes onions really trusted storecupboard friends.

Pasta Always an essential for the cupboard as it doesn’t take much to transform it into a hearty but stylish student supper. Try different shapes now and again, and experimenting.

Noodles Egg and rice noodles cook quickly, and are great for adding to stir-fries and oriental soups.

Coconut milk / Ã Ã }Ài>Ì v À y>Û ÕÀ } and thickening curries and stir-fries. It’s also useful for making laksa dishes, which you can pack with veg – it’s beautifully fragrant and also fantastic if you’ve got a cold or had a big night out.

Worcestershire sauce Essential for Bloody Marys, but also a great way to enrich your Bolognese (see recipe, right) and shepherd’s and cottage pies.

Soy sauce Salty and piquant, it’s very à « i Ì >`` y>Û ÕÀ Ì > ÃÌ À vÀÞ Ü i Þ Õ have this to hand. A standby dish when you’re feeling the pinch is some lovely boiled rice with chopped onions and soy sauce. Sounds boring, but it does the trick.

Couscous A constant student lunch. Throw some feta, red onions, peas and leftover chicken into cooked couscous and take it into uni – brilliant when you’re on the go. It’s also dead quick, ready in about 5-10 minutes and is delicious with just about anything.

Rice A storecupboard staple that’s brilliantly versatile – the whip-roundthe-fridge rice recipe on p42 is a good example. It’s perfect for bulking up dishes like chilli con carne, and if you’re stuck for lunch, put leftovers together with some rice and soy sauce. We guarantee it will taste fab! We like basmati – it costs a bit Ài LÕÌ Ì½Ã } Ì Ì i LiÃÌ y>Û ÕÀ°