Former university students are sharing easy and affordable recipes, with individual meals costing under £2.50, to assist those new to cooking. These dishes can be prepared after an initial store cupboard purchase of under £13.
Mia Jones, 22, who studied in London, reduced her weekly food spending by £20 after learning to cook. She now shares her recipes online, including chickpea curry and udon noodles with tofu, which she describes as cheap and nutritious.
Jayda Otuo-Mensah, a 20-year-old Coventry University student, learned to cook healthy meals while on hospital placements, with crispy teriyaki mince tacos being one of her frequent dishes. Rob Medhurst, 25, a Nottingham Trent University graduate, found spaghetti bolognese to be a versatile and affordable starting point for his cooking.
The cost of standard-sized ingredient packs was calculated using average pre-promotion prices across Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, and Morrisons on 11 September 2026, according to retail tracking platform Assosia.