York St John University: Students cookbook to help freshers with their culinary skills

It aims to provide freshers with cookery tips and an opportunity to connect through shared culinary experiences. The book includes recipes as well as guidance and inspiration for navigating a student kitchen, often with minimal ingredients. It is designed to empower students with essential cooking skills, budgeting tips and innovative ways to minimise waste. Alongside the recipes are “personal food stories” and self-help resources aimed at helping students survive and thrive in their kitchens as they find their feet with university life.

Ellie Calvert, a student from the YSJ Student Cookbook editorial and design team, says: “We all know that student life can be a bit hectic; as you navigate your way through exams, part-time jobs, placements, lectures and nights out. It can be really hard to get that work-life balance, whilst nourishing your body with a range of good food.

"That’s why we wanted to create a cookbook, that inspires students to cook with a variety of ingredients, whilst also being simple, flexible and mostly budget friendly. What’s not to like?

“We also wanted our cookbook to have that personal touch, to highlight and record our diverse food stories. Many of our food stories show our efforts in coping with current challenges such as the cost-of-living crisis, post-pandemic, food poverty and environmental predicaments.”

Recipes include the life of the pineapple, hot sauce and cheddar toastie; chorizo and vegetable tacos; mushroom risotto; and vegetarian chocolate beetroot brownies.

The university is distributing one physical copy of the cookbook per kitchen in all its accommodation units, encouraging students to come together and create meals collectively.

The cookbook has been put together by a team of student volunteers as part of the Living Lab network from the university’s Institute for Social Justice. The award-winning Living Lab is entering the second year of its Feeding the Campus project, which aims to create a campus food system that better meets the needs of both people and the planet.

Vic Hamilton, head of library and learning services and induction and transition lead said: “By providing practical resources and opportunities for social interaction, we want to ensure that students feel welcomed, supported, and engaged from the very beginning.”

The book is also available to download for free on the York St John University website, but the student team encourage people to make a 'pay-as-you-can' donation to York-based food support charity The Collective Sharehouse.