Thanks to the power of Twitter, the lovely Sophie Devonshire (aka @poppylovering), food blogger for Leeds Student, offered to write us a Guest Blog about something she is quite passionate about: Leeds Market!

Living life as a student in Leeds
There’s a long list of places to visit and things to do during your time in the Leeds student bubble: the Otley run, the Yorkshire Dales, breakfast at Popina’s, Hyde Park Picture house, Shaky Jake’s, Lucky’s pizza, Akmal’s curry, lazy afternoons in the Oak’s beer garden and the Leeds Kirkgate market to name but a few.

Sadly for students the latter is a bit like 1st year lectures: the novelty wears off after a few of weeks then no-one bothers going. But it really is an absolute gem that students should get well-acquainted with. It is steeped in history and in a roundabout-way it spawned the global giant that is Marks and Spencer: Mr Marks set up his ‘Penny Bazaar’ there in 1884 which led to the founding of M&S in 1890…humble beginnings!
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I’m Bethan Lewis and am doing a work placement for my degree at studentcooking.tv/Campus Life. I thought that I could give you all some simple tips for keeping your diet varied and how to shop effectively, from one student to another. Being in a house of 6 girls, the percentage of us who cook ‘proper’ meals is very small. You’ll find empty noodle and pasta packets, frozen chips and pizza boxes around the kitchen and very little fresh fruit and vegetables.

So what can you do to change this?

Sometimes it can be very difficult to shop in large amounts and you find yourself doing smaller shops too often, or when you’ve run out of food completely. Not only does this cost you a lot more than one large shop, because you’re shopping when you’re hungry (it’s proven that it encourages you to buy foods you don’t necessarily want on a whim) but you are more likely to buy foods that won’t make up meals or last… So my advice is:
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Here’s a Guest Blog and recipe from one of our fabulous foodie fans on Twitter (follow us yourself @studentcooking)!

Hi I’m Natalie, a graduate from University of Leeds. I first started cooking when I became a veggie in my teens after my mum refused to indulge what she saw as a fad protest. 6 years later I’m still going strong and so’s the cooking! I love making carnivore-converting tasty veggie treats. I also enjoy baking pretty cakes. I tweet most of what I make so follow me on Twitter @JellyTotDealer.

CHEESE & ONION PASTIES

Makes about 10 pasties.
Ready in an hour (worth it!)
Best eaten warm straight out the oven.

Ingredients:
• 2 small potatoes (200g), peeled and cubed
• 1 and a half onions, finely chopped
• 50g butter, cubed
• 50g mature cheddar cheese, grated
• 75g gruyere cheese, grated
• 450g of ready-made short crust pastry sheets (1 pack of Justrol)
• 1 egg, beaten
• Some flour for dusting
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What’s Burns’ Night all about?

It’s a celebration of the life of poet Robert Burns and Scottish culture in general on or around 25th January every year. You’ll probably know the song ‘Auld Lang Syne’ – that’s Burns’ best-known work!

CELEBRATIONS

• Events
Many people and organisations hold a Burns’ Supper on/around Burns’ Night of all different kinds – formal or casual, just men or women or both. Many men wear kilts and women may wear shawls, skirts or dresses made from (family) tartan.

• Food
‘Haggis’ (a type of sausage prepared in a sheep’s stomach) is famous thanks to Burns’ Night, which is what the evening centres on – it’s entrance of it and being placed on the table. The host reads the ‘Address to a Haggis’ – an ode that Burns wrote to the Scottish dish – then at the end the haggis is ceremonially sliced into 2 pieces…then the meal begins!

Other foods (see recipes!) associated with Burns’ Night:
- Haggis
- Cock-a-Leekie soup (chicken and leek soup)
- Neeps (mashed turnips or Swedes)
- Tatties (mashed potatoes)
- Cranchan (whipped cream mixed with raspberries served with sweet oat wafers)
- Bannocks (a kind of bread cooked on a griddle)
- Whiskey – the traditional drink!

WHAT’S FOR BREAKFAST?
Whether it’s the Full English or a simple cereal and toast, you can’t beat a good breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day and shouldn’t be skipped – you’re missing out on vital nutrients and energy otherwise!

So we thought, in celebration of National Farmhouse Breakfast Week (22nd – 29th January 2012), we’d help spread the word of why EVERYONE should be eating breakfast and a few tips and ideas to get you eating first thing – inspired by the awesome Shake Up Your Wake Up website!

BREAKFAST IDEAS:
• Full English (sausages, bacon, baked beans, toast, eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes)
• Scrambled/boiled/poached eggs and toast
• Porridge
• Continental (croissants, cheeses, ham…)
• Toast and jam/marmalade
• Cereal
• Bacon butty
• Fruit (and yogurt)
• Pancakes or waffles
• Fruit smoothie

TELL US!
Answer our POLL on our Facebook page to let us know – we’re curious about your breakfast habits!
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January is a pretty depressing month – it’s the aftermath of the excitement of Christmas and New Years’ parties, too much food has been eaten and alcohol consumed. The weather’s rubbish, it’s cold, dark and makes you want to hibernate. Plus it’s usually that dreaded time of year for students – the start of…*the dreaded word*…EXAMS.

But fear not, to help you get through it, we’ve got a list of what’s best to eat while you’re revising and for when you go into the exam hall. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! :)

• Get some iron and vitamin B in you!
Both are really important in maintaining the physical and mental energy you need to study well. For iron: red meat, cereals and dark green veg like spinach – one great idea is chilli because it contains beef and kidney beans – double fix! Foods containing vitamin B: whole grains, eggs and nuts – get munching on these too!
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For the foodies among you, you might like to know some food forecasts for that have been predicted for 2012 – what’s going to be BIG in terms of eating habits and how we shop. Be inspired and take on board some of them so you’re bang-on trend!

1. It’s all about going local
Authenticity, provenance and ‘localness’ will be very important this year – so basically, where your food has come from. This goes hand-in-hand with living ‘sustainably’ which is cheaper and helps the environment; shopping at local markets, butchers and grocers will reduce your carbon footprint AND the amount you spend on food!

2. Eating yourself happy
2012 will be the year for eating uplifting foods (and drinks) to improve our moods. Serotonin is the ‘magic’ brain chemical believed to promote calmness and ease depression. Foods themselves don’t contain serotonin, but certain things help trigger it – go for: turkey, beef, bananas, eggs and dark chocolate.

3. Packaging innovations
As costs are being cut across the food and drink industry supply chain, packaging will inevitably be affected. Brands will be reducing packaging weight/size (‘light-weighting’), which is more environmentally friendly and cost-effective in the long term – so look out for the differences!
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