One of My Favorite Places…The Pound Shop

Taking into account the pound-dollar exchange rate and average college student’s budget, saving money is a must while in the UK, especially if you plan on socializing and/or traveling. One of the areas to cut back on is basic needs/flat shopping (e.g., tissues, toilet paper, kitchen accessories). Rather than become a coupon addict (not that there is anything wrong with using coupons, I use them regularly), take some time to browse your local pound shop. Pound shop fare costs, well, a pound. But don’t be scared off by the idea if you’re imagining a mirror image of dollar shops in the US. Of the times I’ve been to dollar shops (not including the amazing Daiso stores where face massagers and chopsticks are a couple of feet away from each other), I’ve never really felt compelled to purchase anything. Most of the time this is because I’m usually not interested in the merchandise offered. Not at the pound shop, though.

Pound shops are a great resource for cheap batteries, cleaning supplies, and an assortment of brand-name snacks (emphasis on “brand-name”). Want to try Vegemite without buying a huge jar? Go to the pound shop. Need some garbage bags? Go to the pound shop. Of course like any dollar store, there will be random merchandise as well. If you’re in need of a random generic music cd or toy cars, the pound shop is your shopping destination. I would suggest taking a look at the cutlery there as well, especially if your stay is only a semester long. Why buy an expensive set when you’re in the country for only a short period of time? I bought a mug at the pound shop in Norwich and still use it to this day.

A major chain, Poundland, can be found throughout the UK— if there’s one in your area I highly suggested taking a look.

-L.

What Happens When Your Kitchen Doesn’t Have an Oven…

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Having lived in the dorms and eaten at my college’s dining hall for my freshmen and sophomore years, the prospect of living in a suite-style flat while abroad was exciting. Probably the thing I most looked forward to was the kitchen. While I don’t love cooking (baking is another story), I had dreams of making lasagna, stuffed pasta shells, and other goodies in my flat’s kitchen. No more ramen cooked in the microwave for me; it was like I was going to be a true grown-up. Or as a certain wooden puppet-turned-human storybook character would say, “I’m a real boy girl!”

So when I arrived at the university the first day and walked into my flat’s kitchen, I was more than disappointed to learn that there wasn’t an oven. Everything else was there: fridge, stovetop, sink, microwave, and table. No oven. According to my welcome packet, the microwave had an oven function. After one failed attempt at using this mysterious oven setting, I gave up on the idea of baking anything. I then had to think of everything that I could make using the stovetop or without cooking at all. My diet in England mostly consisted of:

• Sandwiches-Easy, didn't require any cooking whatsoever.  
• Cereal-Again, no cooking required.
• Spaghetti-Substitution for my lasagna dreams.
• Eggs-Boiled or scrambled, eggs were fast and easy to make.
• Stir fry-The local Morrisons carried prepackaged vegetable stir fry mixes. Thrown in a pan with some sauce, these required very little effort. 
• Premade meals from the supermarket-Supermarkets in the UK have a variety of refrigerated and frozen options. They aren’t like the sectioned-off plastic container ones that come to mind when you think of frozen meals in the US. They actually taste good.

Not the most well-rounded diet ever. There were times when I actually put some meat into the things I cooked, but I survived mainly on the above items. Hopefully during your time in the UK you’re more creative. Your kitchen might even have an oven (my blog coauthor has informed me that her flat didn’t have an absentee oven problem).

-L.

Gobble gobble gobble...

Turkey Day!!!

Turkey is generally available as Christmas is right around the corner and even cranberry sauce (otherwise known as cranberry relish) can be found at your local grocery store. However, creating a feast for just you is not only expensive and time consuming, it’s also depressing. By this point, you have undoubtedly made friends at your university, whether they be of American persuasion or not, and most would be more than happy to have a reason to throw a party. Here’s their opportunity!  

My second year in Bristol, my Bahamian friend and I were both sad that we would not be spending Thanksgiving with our families. After our friends found out, they decided it would be great fun to host a Thanksgiving at the house they were sharing. We also decided to invite some other friends to join the celebration. I cooked turkey, my Bahamian friend roasted broccoli with cheese, another friend roasted parsnips and carrots, another cooked potatoes, one friend fried plantains and the last, but certainly not least, made filet mignon with mushrooms in a red wine reduction. Wow. After gorging ourselves for over an hour, we flopped down on my friend's queen size bed and told stories and sang silly songs and danced around the room. No, this wasn’t quite the typical Thanksgiving, but it was the most entertaining one I’ve ever had the pleasure to be a part of.  

There’s also the possibility, if you are lucky enough, that the Warden (that’s like a Resident Director) of the hall you are staying in decides to throw a feast in his/or her American students’ honor. This is precisely what occurred my first year in Bristol.  He took one of the formal Fridays (this is a weekly occurrence at Wills Hall in Bristol) and made it a Thanksgiving theme. The three Americans staying at the hall were the guests of honor and were asked to sit at the head table. What we didn't know until dinner was well under way, was that he had invited Chelsea Clinton, who was studying at Oxford at the time, to come  join us. She didn't.  But we had a very tasty meal all the same. They made us turkey and stuffing and all things Thanksgiving. It was a lovely gesture and we all appreciated it...especially since we didn’t have kitchens to create our own.  

I must admit that out of the two, the Thanksgiving with friends was the most enjoyable, but I appreciate the one given by my hall all the more because it was done out of the kindness of his heart. I'm sure Chelsea Clinton didn't factor into the equation at all! 

-S.