Posted on May 8, 2014 by Grace Parkin

Battle of the Student Food – this time it’s personal.

In my Battle of the Student Food article I declared Tower Bar the winner because of its atmosphere, discount and its cleanliness.

I want to continue this in a battle of Italian food. Both Ask Italian and Zizzi’s line the Brayford Waterfront.

I am in love with Italian food, I’ve been to Rome, I’ve been to Venice and yes, I have judged these two restaurants on my high Italian standards.

Lets start with price, both of these are reasonably priced with starters around £4 – £7 and mains from £8 to £15. Ask Italian offers 25% off food on Sunday – Thursday whereas Zizzi offers 25% off your WHOLE BILL on Sunday – Thursday. Therefore making Zizzi’s one up.

Next is the menu choice. I always say that Zizzi’s would easily win a year ago because of their fabulous menu. However, since then they have changed it and removed classic dishes such as dough sticks with garlic butter. (Why Zizzi’s? Why?). As its an Italian you get to choose from pizza, pasta and meat dishes. I would call this a tie.

Best dish at Zizzis – Pollo Prosciutto (Chicken wrapped in ham with potatoes)

Best dish at AskItalian – Bruschetta (Crusty bread with tomatoes)

Lastly, atmosphere and service. Both of the restaurants have really polite staff who are always around to ask for another drink or whatever you need. However I think Zizzi’s edges AskItalian out on atmosphere simply because it is a more popular restaurant so when you eat there you aren’t the only ones which can always be an awkward situation.

The winner is Zizzi’s with a score of 3-1

Have a glass of Prosecco on me (treat yourself!!)

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Danielle Skerrett

3 Ways to Spice up Cheese-on-toast

Cheese-on-toast is a great student meal, it’s quick, easy and tasty. But there are a few ways to make it a bit more interesting. We’ve taken the much loved classic and come up with three ways to liven up your lunch with just a few extra ingredients. First of all, for this culinary delight you will need: your choice of bread, a toaster, and a grill.

Add as sauce

A classic is Worcestershire sauce, but as students ourselves, we know that normally ketchup is as far as our sauce collection goes. Good job cheese and tomato are great together. Try BBQ or Tabasco for a stronger taste. A Student Foodie favourite is BBQ cheese-on-toast, here’s our recipe!

You’ll need: 2 slices of bread (lightly toasted), cheedar cheese (grated), 2 tbsp BBQ sauce.

1. Preheat your grill on a high heat.

2. Spread the BBQ sauce over the bread.

3. Sprinkle the cheese on top.

4. Grill until the cheese has melted.

Add your 5-a-day

Add chopped peppers, onions and tomato’s or even chilli’s for a hotter taste. Follow the recipe below for the perfect veggie cheese-on-toast!

You’ll need: 2 slices of bread (lightly toasted), cheddar cheese (grated), 1/2 spring onion (finely chopped), a handful of cherry tomato’s (finely chopped), 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce.

1. Preheat your grill on a high heat.

2. Sprinkle the veg over the lightly toasted bread.

3. Spread the worcestershire sauce over the veg and sprinkle the cheese on top.

4. Place under the grill and cook until the cheese has melted.

Change the cheese

Choose your favourite from the classic cheddar to a more upmarket goats cheese! We reccomend brie and if you’re feeling adventurous add bacon for a posh toastie. Here’s our recipe!

You’ll need: 2 slices of bread (lightly toasted), brie (sliced), 2 rashes of bacon, 1 tsp of cranberry sauce.

1. Preheat your grill on a high heat.

2. Place the bacon on a grill pan under the grill.

3. Spread the cranberry sauce over the bread.

4. Cut up the bacon into small pieces and sprinkle over the cranberry sauce.

5. Lay the cheese on top and place under the grill until the cheese has melted.

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Danielle Skerrett

5 Tips for Student Food Shopping

If the idea of your first student food shop fills you with dread, follow these top tips for a stress free Morrison’s trip!

Take Reusable bags

Milk, juice, fizzy drinks, these will weigh you down on the walk home. Be sensible and take canvas bags which are easier to carry on the shoulder and can take the weight of your shopping.

Stick to Your List

This will prevent you buying things that won’t last and wasting your money. It’s also handy as you can plan your meals while making the list so you know exactly what you need.

Don’t go Hungry

You’ll end up buying things that you want there and then instead of essential items which will see you through the week.

Take a Trolley Token

You’ll need this at Morrison’s to get a trolly and it will come in handy when you don’t have a spare pound coin.

Plan a Budget

It’s a good idea to plan how much money you’re going to spend before hand. This will stop you getting carried away and help you save money for the rest of the week.

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Helen Louise Rowe

Student kitchens CAN be pretty!

Your new accommodation is far from homely, more prison-like. With big heavy doors, brick walls with your cell style bed. And as soon as you step foot into the kitchen? Boring! And after the first week? Boring and ridiculously dirty and messy!

The kitchen is never going to be on the designer or show home level, but at least you can make the best of it. After all, it is where you will spend most of your time socializing and drinking, of course. So why not make it pretty?!

Here’s some images your can take inspiration from, with an added tick list at the bottom. Enjoy and get creative! We’d like to see some of your kitchens too, so get decorating and send us your pictures. We may even post them up for all to see.

Light and plain kitchen? Play with pastels! Add a rainbow with fruit bowls and stack-able mugs and tins.

If you’ve been given coloured cupboard doors, match that colour with your plates and accessories. Or find the best complimentary colour.

Those horrible ugly looking fire hazard boxes? Play on the colour, take red into your kitchen. Or add prints.

If you’ve been blessed with a white kitchen, use bright and bold accessories to add some character. Discuss with your housemates what colours they’d like. Don’t be afraid to clash!

The points that you should always cover in order to make your kitchen feel loved are:

– Don’t be afraid of colour. You can also use this as a way to colour coordinate each others belongings. I.e. one person has purple towels and plates and another has green and so on.

– The accessories are what make it more homely. Tea, sugar and coffee containers, utensil holders, toasters, kettles and fruit bowls.

– Add some soft accessories. This essentially means, towels, table cloths/runners and place mats. These are the finishing touches that a lot of students often forget, and they aren’t expensive.

– Introduce some nature. Fruit and flowers in your kitchen really make it come alive. Go for plastic fruit, so it doesn’t go bad and plastic flowers so they don’t require regular waters. They still give the illusion of bringing the outdoors in.

– Keep it clean and tidy! Obviously because it does make it look and feel better to be sat in but also for health reasons. Mould on plates and cutlery and an overflowing smelly bin are NOT good for your health.

Go on, give your student kitchen some TLC. I dare you!

Helen-Louise @ Student Foodie 🙂