Being a student foodie

There might be some student readers out there that do not get massive allowances. Been there, done that.

The problem was that I still loved food. I had a few secrets to eating well on a budget.

Cough up for long lasting luxuries

I firmly believed that basic condiments should include balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard. I built up my spice rack slowly, firstly investing in a few pre mixed Ina Paarman's  spices, loved the garlic and herb.

I also always had filter coffee and limited myself to one cup a day to make sure I could afford it.

Everyone has that one or two luxuries that can be justified.

Must haves

Instead of spending a lot of money on bread and pasta, I just made sure that I had all the ingredients. Flour, eggs and baking powder.

Proteins on a budget is a bit harder. I had canned tuna as a backup, frozen sausages and when I wanted to treat myself, I would buy a small steak at Checkers. I don't know whether Checkers still has their 100g steaks.

A herb garden

Yes, this does not seem simple and it probably isn't. I lived in a garden cottage and the land lady had a herb garden. She encouraged us to make use of it, and I did.

I made sandwiches with seeded loaf, rocket leaves, Dijon mustard and tomatoes. It was good, easy to make and filling. I made salads with with tuna or sausages. And I jazzed up homemade pizza with cherry tomatoes and fresh basil leaves.

Moral of the story, if you want a cheap way of making food much better, get a place with a herb garden or (like my boyfriend did) get a girlfriend with such a place.

The power of flour (rhyming accidental)

Learn how to improvise with what you have. If you are really broke, you can make a pancake like thing with flour and water (not advised). Knowing the basics you can use a base muffin recipe to make any type you need!

Instead of Mc Donald's for a midnight snack after going out, I made cheese muffins (1 cup flour, 1 cup cheese, 1 cup liquid, baking powder and lots of spices) it was sometimes faster than standing in a long queue.

Pancakes with melted cheese and Ina Paarman's garlic and herb hit the spot. And if I knew about this then I would have done it weekly: Make your own gnocchi 

Basically, be creative, try to learn new techniques and make sure you invest in the right things.