Hi, my name’s Nicholas Moore and as part of our SSC2b project we are writing a series of blogs on life as a medical student. In particular, one of the themes we are focusing on is daily life, and I thought there would be no better way to talk about my daily life than writing about food.
With lockdown seeming more and more indefinite, time itself seems to become more and more abundant. One particular way I choose to fill my time is through cooking – as my flatmates and I cook for each other, each person only has to cook once or twice a week. This means that when we do cook, we all tend to put in a lot of effort, since we have 5 hungry people to feed and more importantly, impress.
Home cooked favourites – complete with flatmate reviews
Since September, I have tried to push the boat out with my cooking, trying to cook tasty meals whilst trying to keep bills down too. However, I’ve noticed my meals starting to become a bit beige, having decided that healthiness doesn’t always mean happiness when it comes to food!
My flatmates have kindly agreed to rate some of the things that I have cooked – hopefully this will give someone out there some inspiration for their next culinary adventure!
In first place is Mob Kitchen’s Sticky Sesame Popcorn Chicken (see here for recipe). Made even better if you can be bothered to make egg fried rice with it – definitely worth it! It can be a bit expensive buying the ingredients the first time you make it, but there’s always plenty left to make it again – and when the price is split between 5, it’s a lot cheaper than eating out!
“It tastes just like a takeaway – actually it’s even better!” – Emma
Closely behind in second place, is the traditional roast chicken dinner with all the trimmings. Nothing beats it on a Sunday evening, and the extra effort to make cauliflower cheese is always worth it!
“Tastes like home.” – Sarah
In third place comes veggie burritos. Quorn can be a cheaper alternative to beef mince and if cooked right, it can be hard to tell the difference. Veggie chilli, Mexican rice, guac, refried beans, roast peppers, sour cream and cheese – a lot of effort but definitely worth it!
“I didn’t even realise they were veggie! Tastes just like the real thing” – Jika
In fourth place is my homemade burgers and chips, all made from scratch. Making the burgers by hand with mince saves a bit of money, and my secret ingredient is a handful of oats – it helps to hold everything together. No cutting corners with oven chips – cut your chips, parboil and then roast in the oven for 45 minutes.
“I would pay for that in a restaurant! 6 stars!” – Kirsten
And my top takeaways
And for when you can’t be bothered to cook, don’t fear, I have some recommendations for some of the best takeaways in Edinburgh:
Bross Bagels, @bross_bagels – Huge choice and amazing, tasty bagels – wow
Down the Hatch, @downthehatchsq – Just look at their Instagram, no words needed
Dough Pizza, @doughedinburgh – Cheap, authentic pizza – collect to get the best deals
101 Bakery, @101.bakery – Best baked goods in Edinburgh (we may or may not get a delivery twice a week)
Happy eating!
