December in the UK is traditionally a time for extravagance – shopping for presents, spending money on outfits, eating and drinking out more than usual.  While this sort of indulgence is fun if you can afford it, the last eighteen months have taught us that there are big differences in people’s spending power, across the country, and even across our city, whether that’s the spaces we live in, what we can afford to eat, or the resources we have available to us.

Lockdown taught us how we can get by without all the little luxuries we like to treat ourselves to.  Yes, we do want to see toilet roll available on the supermarket shelves, but if we can’t get hold of our favourite ice cream, is that really the end of the world?

It also gave us the chance to reflect on how precious the contact we have with our friends and family is.  Taking time to engage with people can make you feel good, whether that’s just saying hello to the person at the checkout, smiling at a stranger, or remembering to send a text to a friend who is having a hard time.  There is even a study by researchers at Ohio State University which suggests that giving can be beneficial to your health!

So, if you would like to reach out to others, and feel good about making a difference to someone in need, here are three easy ways you can do something positive this December:

1. Donate to the food collection box in Senate House cafe

From now until Monday 20 December you can make a donation to the food box in Senate House café which will be collected by the Trussell Trust and distributed to those in need.  They would particularly like donations of soap, shampoo, shower gel, biscuits, chocolates, crisps, noodles, jam, sauces and fruit cordial.

 

2. Take part in community outreach sessions

The Careers Service runs community outreach sessions which not only provide opportunities to connect with members of your community, but also to learn new skills, discover your strengths, and have fun!  The sessions can also count towards the Bristol PLUS Award.

3. Fill a shoebox with goodies and help Bristol’s homeless

RAG have partnered with Help Bristol’s Homeless to collect shoeboxes filled with useful items which will be given to a homeless person.  Ideally you will make your box even more of a treat to open by wrapping it in giftwrap, and the preferred contents would include:

• Warm hats, scarves, gloves
• Toiletries, sanitary products
• Supermarket or Greggs vouchers
• Sweets, chocolates, snacks
• Handwarmers and lighters

Boxes can be dropped off to RAG until 15 December – collection point will be posted on the RAG webpage.

Hopefully you will enjoy participating in any of these initiatives, but don’t forget there are opportunities to get involved with projects that make a positive impact in Bristol all year round through the Volunteering & Fundraising Network.

Give it a go and enjoy the benefits to your wellbeing and self-confidence!

Thank you, once again, to everyone who shared their stories with us this week.  You sent us some  delicious-looking recipes, and even though we haven’t had time to try them all out yet, we have been really inspired by the mouthwatering pictures and descriptions.

Some of you will have seen our polls about Comfort Food on Instagram and Facebook and you probably won’t be surprised to hear that “Food from home” was a clear favourite. It tells us that we don’t need to be master chefs to create a meal that makes us feel warm inside. It’s more about being in a nice environment and sharing something familiar with people we care about, and we really hope everyone finds the opportunity to do that sometimes. We are very lucky in Bristol to have access to ingredients from around the world, whether in international supermarkets, the street food stalls in St Nick’s market, or one of the many restaurants found across the city. So, if you want to recreate flavours from home, or get adventurous with new ones, we are sure you will be able to find what you are looking for.

What did surprise us was that twice as many of you voted for savoury food as for sweet.  And what’s even more crazy is that we have chosen a sweet recipe as this week’s winner.  Why would we do such a thing?  It’s not even an actual meal!  Well, we loved the descriptions, the fact that absolutely anyone can try this out for themselves, and the clear passion behind the preparation of this hug in a mug.   Congratulations to Dana for this entry:

Hot Cocoa!

What better to warm a heart and some cold feet than hot chocolate on a winter day?? One of the main ingredients of chocolate as we all know is something that makes one’s mood brighter and happier aka, serotonin. It’s basically a fact that this is the best thing to have during winter.

I used to always buy this delicious hot chocolate powder from the supermarket until they unfortunately stopped selling it here. That was when I decided to take matters into my own hands and make my own hot chocolate at home.

It’s a simple recipe; The first step is to get your choice of milk chocolate! Mine is The Swiss classic Lindt or Ritter Sport milk chocolate. Then, get a mug and fill it up mostly with milk and a little bit of cream (a quarter of the mug should be cream). Heat the mixture and when it is warm enough, put pieces of your chocolate in the milk and stir, after that add a pinch of salt to enhance the flavour and a splash of vanilla extract.

At the end, don’t forget to top off your warm drink with whipped cream and sprinkles or mini marshmallows! Enjoy a delicious homemade hot cocoa

 

Another contender for the title was Zuri’s Tortilla de patata.  This one will take a little more time to make, but it will provide you with “ultimate comfort” (and you do get to flip your tortilla like a pancake).  Please give it a try, and let us know how you get on!

My name is Zuriñe and my favourite comfort food is tortilla de patata! Though a simple Spanish recepie this recipe is a reminder of my family, my culture and overall my safe space. Yet, it is one of those carb filled, warm indulgent treats you can’t resist. Making it the ultimate comfort.

 The recipe is as follows:

• 1) Peel and dice an onion.
• 2) Heat a pan and add some olive oil and add the onions and some salt.
• 3) while the onions sweat peel the potatoes, cut into quarter lengthwise, preferably into little pyramids!! And place them in the pan.
• 5) Add in your cooking oil under all the potatoes are covered (it will take a lot but trust the process)
• 6) turn the heat down, cover and let cook. This will take 25/30min for the potatoes to soften, but check regularly!
• 7) Once the potatoes are cooked, measure out approximately 4 to 4 1/2 cups into a large bowl.

 Making the Tortilla!!

• 1) Whisk the eggs and pour over the potatoes, fold together.
• 2) Heat a non-stick fry pan over medium heat and add the oil. Once the pan is hot, add the potato and eggs.
• 3) once the sides of the tortilla start to cook, give the pan a shake to prevent sticking!
• 4) For the fun part! As soon as the edges of the tortilla start to brown, flip the tortilla over using a large, flat plate (Be very careful!!)
• 5) Place the frying pan back onto the stove and drizzle with a bit more oil. Slide the tortilla, uncooked side down, back into the pan and tuck the sides underneath.
• 6) Cook on medium heat for another 3 to 5 minutes. Use a large plate to flip the tortilla out of the pan. Allow the tortilla to sit for at least 15 minutes before serving

 Que aproveche!!💃🏼

Finally, another reminder of home, Yasmin’s vegetarian sausage casserole.  Easy and delicious – what more do you need?!

My favourite winter recipe is vegetarian sausage casserole, as it reminds me of a similar dish my mum used to make back at home. It’s good in the colder months as it warms you up, and it’s also very healthy, easy to make, and delicious.

This recipe makes about 3 or 4 portions (you can freeze some or share with flatmates)

Prepare: 1 chopped onion, 1 sliced courgette, 1 sliced pepper, and 6 chopped vegetarian sausages, (any veg that needs using up can also be added).

Fry them all in a big pan with oil until they are all cooked through.  Then add a tin of chopped tomatoes and stir in and let it simmer for a while.

Serve with a piece of bread and enjoy!

 

Competition Four – Staying Active

Next week will be our fourth and final competition for 2021.

At this time of year it can be harder to stay motivated and we are really interested to hear what’s keeping you going.  Maybe you’ve met new friends and tried new activities through B:Active?  Or perhaps you got involved with a Student Group?

Let us know what you are getting up to, and once again there will be the chance to win a £25 voucher.

Email your story, with images if possible please, to student-comms@bristol.ac.uk.

The deadline is 11am on Friday 19 November.