4 STARS Ali Smith, 2020 Summer isn’t just a merry tale. Because there’s no merry tale without the darkness. It’s quite sad that this series has come to an end. The contemporary-est of contemporary novels, they have featured current events often of only a month or two before publication, mixed in with stories about…
The Testaments: The Sequel You Didn’t Know You Needed?
3 STARS Margaret Atwood, 2019 CONTAINS SPOILERS You don’t believe the sky is falling until a chunk of it falls on you. In many ways, The Testaments is the exact opposite of The Handmaid’s Tale. There, we were claustrophobically confined to one character’s limited viewpoint. Here, we move rhythmically between three different ones. There,…
White Teeth: the Debut Author’s Hysterical Realism
3 STARS Zadie Smith, 2000 Shiva shook his head. ‘I been out with a lot of white birds, Samad. A lot. Sometimes it’s worked, sometimes it ain’t. Two lovely American girls. Fell head-over-heels for a Parisian stunner. Even spent a year with a Romanian. But never an English girl. Never works. Never.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Too…
simple student recipe: prawn salad bowl
A salad bowl is such a simple meal: just stick loads of healthy things in a bowl together. However, I don’t eat this sort of thing often at uni, because it relies on having a large variety of ingredients in your fridge or cupboard. Having said that, most of these ingredients are cheap, and buying…
27 ways to level-up your avocado toast
Avocado on toast is a classic for a reason: it’s perfect for pairing with other ingredients. Avocado’s mild flavour makes an ideal base, while toast is sturdy enough to support a veritable pile of extra toppings. It’s one of my favourite meals, so I thought I would compile a list of ideas to level up…
Cambridge// eat: The Locker Cafe
54 King St, Cambridge CB1 1LN Founded two summers ago, The Locker Cafe has suddenly shot to popularity among the student body in Cambridge over the past two terms. It’s a new favourite spot for brunch, equal only to Fitzbillies and Queens’ College buttery. Varsity (the student newspaper) reviewed it, and soon ‘you’ve not been to Locker Cafe yet?’ became a…
simple student recipe: peanut butter snack balls
These snack balls are so easy to make and perfect as a study snack! They taste deliciously sweet because of the honey and chocolate, but they’re also really filling because of the oats, nuts and chia seeds. They’re also so easy to customise with whatever else you want to add in (I’ve listed some ideas…
simple student recipe: Mexican chorizo rice (with a little help from Uncle Ben)
Is inventing the ‘Uncle-Ben’s-rice-with-veg’ dish my greatest achievement during my time at uni? Possibly. It’s a versatile concept; the rice provides the flavour whilst the vegetables add some health benefits! It’s also pretty much the quickest, simplest meal I can think of. Using Uncle Ben’s spicy Mexican rice as a base, I added chorizo to…
10 tips for choosing the perfect Airbnb
It’s holiday-booking season! Airbnbs are a very popular accommodation choice, but the wide variety available means that it’s easy to get caught out when trying to choose the perfect one for your trip. I’ve got plenty of experience booking Airbnbs – I’ve stayed in 11 now (6 in Italy, 2 in Edinburgh, 1 in Bath,…
simple student recipe: korma rice
This is the first recipe on my blog! I’m also proud to say that this was my first time dreaming up a recipe after looking at what I had in my cupboard and fridge. Of course, I’m sure many similar recipes exist, but I was quite proud of myself! It’s quick, simple, delicious and very…
