Arcadia Ireland

You’ve arrived, you’ve settled in, you’ve made some friends and now it’s the big challenge- you have to cook!!  One life skill that living in Ireland will teach you is the art of cooking.  We don’t expect you to be the next Gordon Ramsay, but it’s a good idea to cook in your apartment when you’re here. It’s a great life skill to have, all the Irish students will be doing it and (most importantly!) it will save you money.

Listed below are some ‘go to’ staple meals that you can be sure your Irish counterparts will be trying out.

5 Staple Irish Student Meals:

Banana Pancakes: WHERE WERE THESE WHEN I WAS A STUDENT?!

Honestly, the handiest and most delicious meal you can have at literally any time of the day. The cherry on top is that they only use TWO INGREDIENTS. 

Bananas and eggs are accessible and are really low cost. You can get them ANYWHERE. It may sound like an odd combination, but these are delicious. They are dairy free, gluten free and vegetarian too. If you’re vegan and want to try your hand at these, try making flax egg as an alternative.

Just mash the banana, whisk the eggs and pop them together in a bowl… it’s so easy!! Check this out for lots of ideas to jazz them up a little.

*Tip: Top them with syrup and fruit for breakfast or with bacon and beans for dinner.

Spaghetti Bolognese: Always a winner in our eyes. Spaghetti Bolognese is quick, simple and delicious.

For a really easy meal just buy some tomato sauce and add it to your mince and vegetables, or for something a little more ‘homemade’ try this recipe.

I would suggest adding peppers and carrots (but go with whatever you feel like!). Just pop them in after you’ve browned off the mince.

*Tips: If you don’t like beef, try it with minced turkey instead.

          Add a dash of Worcestershire and/or hot sauce to heat it up a little.

Stir Fry: They’re cheap and you can pretty much use anything you want in them. Every Irish student will be making a stir fry at least once a week.

This step by step guide should keep you on track.

*Tips: Make them with just veg or tofu for a vegan/vegetarian dish.

           If you’re not bothered making the sauce- buy a packet sauce in any of the supermarkets.

           Straight to wok noodles are amazing. Just add them in at the end and heat them up.

Bangers and Mash: Such a classic- spuds and sausages- you really can’t go wrong.

This recipe is pretty much spot on. Personally I would make the onion gravy with a red onion and add in a dash of red wine if you have it lying around.

*Tips: Maybe not healthy, but the more butter you add the creamier the spuds.. get that fat in there!

           Heat the milk and butter before putting your potato back in to stop it from going cold as you're                     mashing.

Jacket Potato:  The ULTIMATE student meal. It literally couldn’t get any easier:

Get a big potato, throw it in the microwave or oven to cook it- add toppings.

Most people will add basic things like beans topped with cheese, or tuna and sweetcorn. Try these bad boys for something a little more faaancy.

*Tip: Make it with sweet potato for a slightly healthier choice.

Try Fajitas, Pasta Bakes, or a simple Roast either. These will feed a lot more people and might be a good way to get friends around. 

People to follow:

There are loads of Irish foodies, chefs and bloggers out there that are brilliant to follow. Check out their websites, or have a look at their mouth-watering Instagrams. All of these are young, healthy, Irish and into making very tasty recipes. Want to know the best part? Their food is simple and the recipes are easy to follow. When you’ve mastered the basics- why not try your hand at something a little more adventurous! Lots of these specialise in vegan and vegetarian food too, so I’m hoping there might be something here for everyone.

Rozanna Purcell at Natural Born Feeder

Rosanna Davison at Rosanna Davison Nutrition

The Flynn Twins at The Happy Pear.  

Doanl Skehan simply at donalskehan.com

Indy Power at The Little Green Spoon.

Places to Follow:

Finally, there are loads of pages out there to follow for meal advice. Here are some tried and tested to get you started:

Try www.yummly.com. You can literally put in any ingredients, any preferences, and even how long you have to cook. It’ll churn out a load of recipes that are easy and delicious! Give it a go.

www.studentrecipes.com does exactly what it says on the tin. They are recipes for students, from students. These will always be easy and cheap and seeing as they’re written by students, the descriptions tend to be a bit funny too.

These foodnetwork recipes are divine and there are loads of them.  Please try the bacon macaroni cheese toastie and tell me that it’s the best thing you’ve ever tried!

I’m excited to see how you get on with your meals. Make sure to tag us with #arcadiaireland in any of your insta-worthy dishes. Happy cooking!