As the Winter chill sets in, a wave of anticipation fills the air as students embark on a new academic term, eager to shape their future through education. It’s a thrilling journey, but beyond the realms of textbooks and lectures lies a challenge often underestimated – the transition to independent living. For many, it marks their maiden voyage away from home, a taste of true autonomy, but do they have the skills for surviving?
Every year parents look to kit out their children with the essentials they need as they package them off to university, hoping they have given them everything they need to survive. Amidst the excitement of this life-shaping adventure, there’s a crucial, yet overlooked, skill waiting to be mastered: the art of cooking and understanding food. As students dive into academia, statistics reveal a startling truth – a substantial number lack the culinary know-how to sustain themselves independently. Imagine, 1 in 10 students, a staggering 286,000 in 2022*, grappling with the daily ritual of feeding themselves.
While the benefits of a healthy, balanced diet are widely known, the ability to whip up a meal becomes a challenge for some. The consequences are felt in concentration levels in the classroom and overall wellbeing. Shockingly, a quarter of students**opt for takeaways weekly, a costly affair on an already tight budget. Ready meals and ingredients follow suit, burdened by rising costs. The result? Over half of students skip breakfast, a crucial meal, adding unnecessary stress during a period of their lives demanding peak performance.
The solution lies in preparation – ensuring ourselves and our children are equipped with those essential life skills. It’s easy to take food for granted, especially when we’re young and shielded from its management. However, for a lot of us and especially in this country, the simplicity of accessing food masks the importance of basic skills that can prove vital in times of adversity.
ALL THE GEAR…
To parents and guardians, the call is clear: impart your culinary wisdom before your young ones embark on their university journey. For those heading to university or contemplating the leap, the time to acquire these skills is now. While many students leave home armed with pots, pans, and utensils, a significant fraction remains clueless about transforming these tools into a basic meal.
Cooking is not just a survival skill; it’s an investment in survival, wellbeing, and the overall independent experience. As Winter takes hold and the academic journey unfolds, give students the confidence to fully achieve their independence and the other results will follow.
*The Independent
** The Independent/studentbeans.com
Want to understand food and not have to worry about cooking for yourself or others. Why not look at flexible cooking lessons, based around you and your needs. If you want to prepare yourself for surviving on your own and making the most of your time and money, then my lessons are a great way to give you the skills and knowledge you need.
