刚刚入学的大学生会遇到很多新挑战，尤其是当你初次离开家长，独自生活的时候。其中，最大的挑战就是喂饱自己的肚子了：没有家长的照料，你每天吃什么？你会做什么菜？这些都是需要考虑的问题。

Starting at university or college can be a big challenge, especially if you're living away from home for the first time. You're faced with big questions such as, 'Who's going to do my washing?' 'Who's going to tidy my room?' And, most importantly, 'How am I going to eat?' Yes, living on your own means you have to cook for yourself, and when you're living a student lifestyle, this could be a recipe for disaster.

Students, in the UK at least, often rely on staples such as baked beans or cheese on toast. And for the more adventurous, there's 'spag bol' – spaghetti bolognaise - a budget-friendly bowl of minced beef cooked in a tomato sauce, served on a bed of spaghetti. If you make a huge pan of it, you can probably make it last a whole week! Other low-cost options include jar sauces and oven pizzas.

Recently, a British supermarket suggested that rose harissa paste, organic cider vinegar and Swiss bouillon powder were the essential ingredients needed for the 'student store cupboard'. But are these items considered essential and affordable for someone on a budget?

Catrin Stewart is 20 and in her final year at the University of Manchester and is currently food editor of the student paper. She told BBC News that "I'm in a unique position… I'm in a house of eight people and six are vegan. We have to be quite inventive with our food. We have lots of Asian influences, lots of experimenting." Another student, Eleanor, is vegetarian and finds this meat-free food "easier and less expensive".

Living on a limited budget is certainly one obstacle to eating a well-balanced diet – some young people also have limited culinary expertise and besides, there are more fun things to go and do than stay at home and cook, that's why many students survive on takeaways and microwave meals.

But what should a health-conscious student really have in his or her food cupboard? Jack Monroe, a food writer and campaigner, has some advice: baked beans, stuffing, lemon juice, tinned tomatoes and tomato ketchup, described as "salt, sugar, vinegar and tomato all in one handy squeezy bottle." And if that doesn't appeal, you can always wait until you visit mum and dad for a slap-up meal!