Sam Holland’s Kitchen Kickstart

With recipes designed for beginner cooks, Sam Holland’s Kitchen Kickstart is the perfect guide for students new to cooking for themselves. From quick curries and pasta dishes, to fun cocktails (and even hangover cures), you’ll find everything you need to build confidence in the kitchen.

Do Yourself a Flavour

From puff pastry pizzas to quick and easy veg curries, and even a selection of hangover-friendly meals, the 75 recipes in this cookbook penned by food writer Fliss Freeborn will have you winning over even the most passive-aggressive flatmates. It even has the seal of approval from restaurant critic and author Jay Rayner, who counts it among his favourite cookbooks.

Student Eats

Straight from the pen (and kitchen) of food writer and self-taught cook, Rachel Phipps, this is the ultimate guide to quick and easy meals that also happen to be healthy and good for the brain. They respect a student budget too – Rachel herself recently graduated from the University of London, so she understands the importance of thrift.

Good Food: Easy Student Dinners: Triple-tested Recipes

A must-have for any new student, this tried-and-tested guide covers everything from Brainy Breakfasts to Express Dinners, and whilst it’s loaded with dishes for one, it also features a chapter of hearty Food for Friends that won’t break the bank.

One Pot, One Portion

If you’d rather not eat your way through the same batch-cooked meal for a week, or rely on your flatmates to help with dinner every evening, Eleanor Wilkinson is here to help with her clever one-pot meals for one. From hearty breakfasts to nourishing dinners and satisfying bakes, the recipes in this book are inventive and feature tips on which recipe you can make next to use any leftover fresh produce.

The Quick Roasting Tin

We could have recommended any of the books from Rukmini Iyer’s Roasting Tin series for fans of easy, one-tin traybakes. The cookbooks’ focus on flavour and their chuck-it-all-in approach make them ideal for students and novice cooks alike. But, with its focus on speed, The Quick Roasting Tin is our top pick for time-poor students juggling deadlines and a busy social life.

Beat The Budget

Mimi Harrison started Beat the Budget after growing tired of cheap yet unhealthy food options when she was at university, so the recipes in this book (all of which come in at under £1.25 per portion) surefire solutions to any student’s cooking and budgeting woes.

Discover Mimi’s top tips for cooking on a budget.

A Girl Called Jack

A Girl Called Jack is all about shopping smart, reducing food waste, and creating nourishing and exciting food on a very tight budget. Expect the likes of vegetable masala for 30p per portion and nostalgic jam sponge for 23p per portion.

The Cornershop Cookbook

If you’re low on fridge space, or your student accommodation is painfully far from the nearest supermarket, this cookbook will be a saviour. It’s crammed with quick, flavoursome dinners and snacks, all made using ingredients that can be picked up at most corner shops. It will also come in handy for those bed-ridden with the dreaded fresher’s flu.

The Seriously Good Veggie Student Cookbook

Vegan and vegetarian cooking is ideal for budget-conscious students, not to mention a great way to incorporate more veg into their diets. The 80 simple yet delicious recipes in this book are based around cheap ingredients such as rice, pasta, potatoes and bread, but you’ll also find plenty of healthy, veg-packed meals as well as comforting staples to see students through even the most stressful moments.

Mob 6

Whether you’re looking to impress with a grown-up dinner party or just need to feed yourself through an essay crisis, these easy (and genius) six-ingredient recipes developed by Mob have got you covered. You can also try six free recipes from the book, selected by Mob writer Lucas Oakeley.

5 Ingredients – Quick & Easy Food

Jamie Oliver‘s clever and practical cookbook, 5 Ingredients – Quick & Easy Food, suits the student lifestyle and budget perfectly. Each using only five ingredients, these recipes will not only save you from having to head to the supermarket with a lengthy (and costly) shopping list, but they also happen to be accessible and easy to follow for new cooks. With many of them taking less than 15 minutes to make, 5 Ingredients will save you time too.

And for more five-ingredient recipes, be sure to check out Jamie’s 5 Ingredients Mediterranean.

Delia’s Complete Cookery Course

The classic. The manifesto. The book that every aspiring cook, every student, every person should have to hand. Delia’s Complete Cookery Course is exactly what the title suggests, covering everything from how to boil an egg to how to make your own taramasalata. Grab this 30th anniversary edition and embark on a lifetime of culinary enjoyment.

Dear Grace: Recipes from your mother, for the next chapter in life

Claire Thomson, the chef and podcast host behind The 5 O’Clock Apron, weaves recipes, life advice, and beautiful illustrations to create the perfect gift-worthy cookbook for the student in you life. With chapters including Legacy Recipes, Cooking on a Budget, All Back to Mine – Late Night Food, Flatshare Feasts, Faster than Fast Food and Sweet Tooth, the recipes in Dear Grace will have young cooks ready for all aspects of the student experience.