Ideas please...

orangesmartie

When i moved my mum and dad did a big box with the things listed above and things like salt, vinegar, pepper, washing powder and fabric conditioner, dusters, polish, dustpan & brush, kitchen roll, small first aid kit (sachets of resolve ), sponges and other things you use daily without a thought.

ETA: Oh and a corkscrew/bottle opener!

parsonswife8

Get her a few tins of fruit canned in juice as well..peaches, fruit salad, pineapple or some dried fruit and some mixed nuts to snack on.
Some rice cakes or water biscuits can be eaten with quite a few easy toppings. soft white cheese or marmite etc.

Phoolgrrrl

I would like to know about hm ready meals too, OH is starting shifts to 10pm so if I could make eg a lasagne and freeze it to cook from frozen it would be great!

Toilet rolls are a must. Also when I was at uni we had tuna pasta at least once a week, tin of tuna, tin of toms, pasta, italian seasoning and what veg we had. So I agree tins of stuff and pasta are a good idea. Is she able to cook? You could maybe teach her a few easy cheap dishes to make herself before she goes?

babyshoes

If she is able to cook up the pasta/rice portion of the meal, then frozen toppings, stews etc will be welcomed. Also, plain couscous as an alternative to rice - so easy to make, just add boiling water. We use it with stews and curries a lot.

Kittendreich

I'd second the 'survival kit' approach - even if she has a freezer she might not be that popular if she's filled it up before everyone else has arrived (or someone else might have done that before she arrives and all your work will go to waste). My mum&dad used to take me round the supermarket stocking up my cupboard with things that wouldn't go off at the start of the year and if they were visiting - they preferred that to giving me cash as they knew it was going on essentials and not drink & partying!

Nowadays a surprise Tesco delivery out of the blue with some basics (so she won't go hungry) and a few treats (that she coudln't splash out on herself) would probably go down well near the end of term when finances get tighter. My brother sent me 4 bottles of wine and a giant bottle of Irn Bru the day I finished my exams which was fantastic as I was skint but wanted to celebrate (the Irn Bru being a Scottish hangover staple that was very difficult to find where I was studying!).

thriftmonster

I have one of the Sainsbury's meal ticket cards for my godson who is at uni and it works well. My Mum used to send me off with a load of tins and packets and a huge Christmas cake - wrapped in foil it lasted several weeks.

Fitzio

Hi,

That is very thoughtful of you OP.

I have frozen Macaroni Cheese and Lasagne and they are fine. If the sauce dries out slightly in the macaroni, I just add a splash of milk to it and it improves the consistency. I have recently returned to work after being off on mat leave and I am working very long days so before I went back, I batch cooked loads (not very MSE as I had to fork out on a chest freezer for the garage as I cooked so much!). I made the following:

Chilli
Bolognese
Macaroni
Chicken & Broccoli Pasta in Cheese Sauce
Vegetable Curry
Chicken Tikka Masala
Chicken Amatriciana
Beef Stew
Mince
Thai Green Turkey Curry

To be honest, I would probably just give her huge bags of pasta and rice to make herself along with anything that doesn't need to be pre-mixed. It only takes 10 mins and most students become very adept and cooking pasta (although at least she will have tasty stuff to add to hers).

charlies-aunt

Evil?`evil? - you sound like a lovely, caring stepmum!