– Laura Crouch contributed to this report
University students are not known for their culinary prowess. Pot Noodles and baked beans on toast are somewhat well known amongst the students of today.
Lemon Squeezy is a website designed to bring quality, tasty meals to busy people and those on a budget, also going down a treat with university students.
Filled with simple recipes and cooking advice, the aim of the website is to raise awareness to students that it isn’t difficult to buy good ingredients and to feed yourself well.
Founder of Lemon Squeezy Anna Atkins was inspired by her daughter and her friends. After giving her daughter recipes to get her by at university, the tasty meals quickly caught on with her friends.
Atkins explained: “I also drew up meal planners and shopping lists to help the girls eat a healthy balanced diet on a tight budget.
“Lemon Squeezy is about making it easy to eat well every day without spending a fortune on ingredients or hours in the kitchen.”
The website doesn’t just provide recipes, but it also allows students to learn about nutrition and why these meals not only taste great but are healthy too.
Atkins said: “It’s also about understanding that the way you feed yourself makes a huge difference to how you look, feel and cope with life. That’s why there are bite-sized nutrition facts alongside the recipes so people can make good food choices that work well for them.”
Journalism student Luke Botham said: “Cooking is a lot of fun. Last year I couldn’t really do it at all, but this year I tried and it can be really fun!”
Botham has quite a busy schedule and cooks proper meals between three and four times a week. He said he would be interested in using the website if he was feeling adventurous: “It would depend on what I have in and if I can be bothered cooking.”
He continued: “My favourite meal to cook is panhaggerty, even if it does create a bit of a mess. I once tried cooking meatballs in my first year but they went flat and a strange colour.”
Emily Normington is also a journalism student at the University of Lincoln. She said: “I have no patience for cooking. If food cooked quicker, I would be fine. I’d have a look at the website to see what’s on it.”
Perhaps if you haven’t stuck to your New Year’s resolutions or just hadn’t bothered with one, Lemon Squeezy could be the easy change to your life you need or want.