Students served up a soupcon of survival tips

How many of the thousands of new undergraduates leaving home in the next fortnight or so know the difference between arborio rice (for risotto) and basmati rice? And how many care?

Judging by the participants in a student survival masterclass in West Yorkshire last week, culinary skills are very much in demand.

The students gathered at Cutlers Brasserie in the village of Burley-in-Wharfedale were eager to savour chef Rick Hodgson's tips for elegant eating on a budget. It seems the new generation of students is not content with cheap pizza and Coke, preferring to experiment with quality fresh ingredients.

The suggested menus included chunky fish broth, chicken and prawn paella and fresh pasta. The dishes were, agreed the students, affordable (just), tasty and relatively easy to prepare. But there were a few snorts when chef suggested using saffron in the paella. "Isn't that more expensive than gold?" someone asked.

Greg Johnson, who is about to begin a degree course at Leeds Metropolitan University, said his standard fare was "anything fried" and microwaveable junk food. "I like cooking, I just can't do it very well," he said.

His worry that he might be the only male was quashed as the other students filed in. There were many blokes, but it soon emerged that it was their mums who had booked them in.