h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Soups are good. You can always take them to uni in a thermos flask (if you have one) to keep you going through the day. Something packed with carbohydrates will keep you warm for longer.

Leek and Potato soup:

In a large saucepan, fry together a chopped onion, acouple of cloves of garlic, a chopped leek (or two if you can afford them! ), and a couple of chopped potatos. Don't cut the potato too large, or it will take forever to cook.

Stir the mixture, allowing it to gently brown evenly.

Add a pint of chicken stock (if necessary, from a stock cube - or plain water will suffice) and boil for 15 minutes, or until the potato is tender. If you like, you can blend to an even texture (or mash it, if you can't afford a blender!)

Just to add: &/or (particularly in the mornings)
I say this mainly because I´m a hot drink junky in cold times as in warm actually too, plus it will warm yer inner´ds. Although, take care not to run out of milk!
Here´s a tip too: when you sip, linger for a bit @ the cup & blow. You´ll get a nice wave of warm air (especially nice if your nose is feeling cold & you´re finding it hard to warm it up again!).

Oh, & err, porridge (+,shh don´t tell anyone, ) is pretty effective! Fills you up & keeps you warm at the start of the day too, but generally I think any foodstuffs are fine as I think it aids your natural insulation system (correct me if I´m wrong!). Either that or use it as an excuse to binge!

Yeah, the soup helps. If you make lots at a time it's not a huge hassle either, and can work out a bit cheaper. Of course, this being h2g2 there's already a whole sea of soup recipes at A640063. And elsewhere besides, I'm sure. One day I'll post my mum's here, but I'm almost loathe to share it!

t_l_a_h

Ginger is a great warming root - you can steep it in hot water with a little honey and a dash of lemon and sip slowly... the hot water makes you feel initially warm, but the ginger then takes over and well, I guess you'll have to try it for yourself to find out It's a bit difficult for me to describe...

If you add a drop or two of glycerine, you've got a great remedy for sore throats!

Baked beans on toast, although a traditional student food, is very good at keeping you warm. If you're feeling flush a mound of grated cheese makes it that extra bit yummy.

[I would have posted a leek and potato soup recipe, if there hadn't been one here already]

Eat foods that keep you going, not ones that give you a quick energy burst and then peter out.

A sack of rice makes a large number of cheap, filling meals. So do beans, pasta, potatoes and bread.

In cold circumstances, it's really important to be sufficiently nourished.

I found a good stew with the cheap bits of meat, lots of winter veg, potatoes and the end of a bottle of wine was good. You can make a really big batch and freeze it. Spag bol can be made with meat-substitute mince and bovril with some real mince, for the carnivores - cheap but still seemingly meaty.

Make hot desserts - even if it's just baked fruit with warm custard. The sweetness and warmth at the end of the meal is Good

I concur with the suggestion regarding cofee and or tea

On the tea side of things, I found the best keep-warm stratedy involves brewing a pot of tea. It helps if you have a delightful curled mint plant flourishing in your room to add flavour to your tea. Once you have brewed the tea, place it in a cup. Hold the cup against you body to absorb the heat that radiates from it. Try to keep the cup in contact with areas of high blood flow, like the hands, feet, head or groin area. This is by far the most cost-effective method of turning electrical energy into body heat I have yet to find!

Adsa Smart Price noodles - only 9p a pack!

Mashed potato (comforting slow-release energy).
Or Smash, if you really can't be bothered.

I recommend porridge - and no, I don't mean getting yourself sent to jail.

Porridge is a good slow-release energy food, and I sometimes like to sweeten it with honey, which gives an extra sugar rush. It's also very cheap. The avant-garde musician and artist Genesis P-Orridge, of Psychic TV/Throbbing Gristle fame, got his name because he lived on the stuff when he was a student.