Nourish with Nish (the vegan student handbook)

Being a student is hard enough, but if you’re on a tiny budget and living in a bedsit with a tiny cooker and fridge, then these books can help you eat right and save money. So you can spend more time partying and drinking beer!

Store cooked leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months (write date it was cooked, on the lid). Defrost thoroughly overnight in the fridge, and don’t refreeze or reheat.

Nourish with Nish may well be ‘the cookbook’ that you have been looking for all your life, if you’re not a natural chef and get fed up with books that say they are simple, but aren’t. This is a real find (found in a library by accident, as it’s self-published so not on all the ‘main lists’).

The author wrote it while a student, and it’s as simple as it gets. Basically telling you how to make a bowl of pasta with lentils, or a good salad or wrap, or simple pancakes or flapjacks. But all the recipes work and are delicious and affordable, made with real ingredients, and for small servings.

Not just for students, the book includes budgeting tips and how to read food labels, plus 71 recipes including 11 breakfasts, 15 lunches, 20 dinners, 5 soups (one for ‘each colour of the rainbow’), 10 sides, 5 desserts and 5 smoothies. Get these off pat, and you’re set up for a lifetime of good food!

Before cooking, read up on food safety for people and pets (many foods are unsafe near animal friends). Bin allium scraps (onion, leeks, garlic, shallots, chives) and citrus/tomato/rhubarb scraps, as acids could harm compost creatures. It’s okay to put them in food waste bins (made into biogas).

For tinned foods, fully remove lids (put inside) or pop ring-pulls back over holes (and pinch top opening closed) before recycling, to avoid wildlife getting trapped.

The recipes include:

Crêpes
Vegan full English breakfast
Tofu scramble
Red pesto pasta
Fajitas
Pea and mint soup
Chickpea soup
Vegan BLT sandwich
Spaghetti bolognese
Pasta e fagioli (beans)
Shepherd’s pie
Sweet and sour tofu
Sweet jacket potato with hummus
Stuffed peppers
French toast
Homemade brownies

Try this recipe from her blog for creamy roasted tomato garlic tomato pasta, to give you an idea of just how tasty and affordable this food is.

The student vegan starter kit

Tinned beans and lentils: Instant protein and fibre for chilli, curry, pasta sauces, and salads.
Chickpeas: Great for wraps, bowls, and quick curries.
Tinned tomatoes or passata: Your base for bolognese, chilli, soup, and shakshuka-style beans.
Frozen veg (mixed veg, peas, spinach): Cheap, no chopping, no waste.
Oats: Breakfast, snacks, even savoury oat bowls.
Rice, pasta, noodles: Budget carbs that make meals filling fast.
Peanut butter: Turns noodles into sauce and oats into dessert.
Soy sauce, curry powder, stock cubes: Small cost, big flavour.
Lemon juice or vinegar: Brightens flat food, especially beans and soups.
Nutritional yeast (optional): “Cheesy” taste for pasta and toast.
Tahini (optional): Creamy sauces, if you find it on offer.

Quick affordable meal ideas in 10/20 minutes

Hummus and grated carrot wraps (5 minutes): Tortilla wraps, hummus, grated carrot, spinach or lettuce.
Baked sweet potato with beans (10 to 12 minutes): Bake a sweet potato, split it, top with baked beans or mixed beans plus salsa.
Overnight oats (2 minutes prep, eat cold): Oats, plant milk, banana, peanut butter.
Lentil bolognese (15 to 20 minutes): Fry onion (or use frozen), add garlic granules, pour in passata and tinned lentils, simmer, then toss through pasta. Swap: use chopped tomatoes and a pinch of sugar if passata’s gone.
Chickpea and spinach curry (15 minutes): Warm curry powder or curry paste in a pan, add chickpeas and tinned tomatoes, stir in frozen spinach at the end. Serve with rice. Swap: use frozen mixed veg if spinach isn’t your thing.
Smoky bean chilli (15 to 20 minutes): Mixed beans, tinned tomatoes, chilli flakes, smoked paprika (if you have it), and a stock cube. Eat with rice or tortilla chips. Swap: skip the smoky flavour and add extra black pepper and cumin if you’ve got it.
Pasta salad with chickpeas (15 minutes): Cook pasta, rinse cold, add chickpeas, sweetcorn, diced cucumber, and a simple dressing (oil, vinegar, salt). Swap: use frozen peas instead of cucumber.
Roasted veg and hummus pitta (20 to 30 minutes, hands-off): Roast whatever veg you’ve got, then stuff into pittas with hummus. Swap: air fryer chips plus salad still counts.

A Charity That Helps Young Vegans

The Vegetarian Charity is a small charity that gives grants to vegans and vegetarians under 26, who need help. You need to provide proof from two people, via signed reference requests.

Typical grants are for educational courses, special needs, and daily living (fridges, bedding, sewing machines etc).