What can I give my granddaughter who’s off to uni

A set of padlocks for the valuable items - her stuff will definitely go missing!

When I was at Uni, many moons ago, it was like living up against Ali Baba and his forty thieves.

Better still, tell her to nail down everything that can be nailed down. Human nature is, sadly, like that.

Depends where they will be living. Student accommodation will probably be fitted out with kitchen stuff as will private/rented/shared accommodstion. Generally provide own bedding towels. Unless the accommodation isn't equiped I'd go for money or store vouchers. At this stage a lot of the petsonal choice stuff will already have been acquired. A lot would be interested in new trainers, hoody, waterproof jacket, backpack.

Found out my GDD’s hot water bottle was out of date so bought a new one. (Look at the flower on the neck, which tells the year it was made in).
She knows if she needs anything, I am by her side. She’s studying in Rotterdam so when she’s home in Paris, she phones to arrange our next lunch date.

Money. It provides choice.

I bought my grandaughter a Noah Box.
It had everything she needs for leaving home and starting Uni.
Bed linen, duvet, pots and pans, knives, forks, spoons, towels and T towels, cups, plates and kitchen necessities.
It was about £200 and that was 5 years ago but it saved buying in dribs and drabs and all came in one box.

You could give it from all the family and they could help with the cost.,

They don’t usually know what they need till they get there. A toaster/ kettle/ mini fridge for their room is good if they have a communal kitchen.

Can’t go wrong with food and/ or money. A homemade crochet or patchwork blanket is nice if you don’t mind them getting trashed.

My g’dtr is also off the university this month. She asked for a mini rice cooker (Lakeland) and I gave her an ‘easy’ recipe book. I will give her some money to spend during freshers’ week so she doesn’t do too much damage to her budget at the start of term.

Vouchers for supermarkets gift cards for Costa, pizza hut Greggs 😊

These days most students don't use cookery books but find recipes online - sometimes with video tutorials of what to do.

I still have my trusty student cookbook - even though it was not actually for students. It was Marguerite Patten's "Cookery in Colour" that I got for £1.99 and is a total encyclopedia of cookery and still gets used today.

Graphite

Over the preceding summer I gave my godson lessons in how to batch cook vegetable curry from basic ingredients and gave him a big wok and curry spices as a starter kit. I suggested he could throw a small party is his section of halls to break the ice - so similar to J52’s suggestion - which he did.

This is what I did with my son. I taught him how to cook a basic ragu with minced beef which he could also adapt to make a chilli or a keema style curry. All his Uni friends learned to cook and saved a lot of money as a result.

I’ve been putting a bag of goodies together over the last few weeks for my GD who goes off next week. Mainly store cupboard staples which won’t matter if duplicated but also a couple of bottles of nice shower gel and body lotion and a bottle of wine. The day before she goes I’ll make a batch of her favourite flapjack. She and DD have shopped for bedding and towels etc, mainly pink I’m told!

Nansypansy

Thanks everyone! I did contact her mum who told me they’d forgotten to get cooking knives and a wooden chopping board so I dashed out and got them to accompany the other stuff I’d got.

Looks like you are on it👏🏽👏🏽
Am sure she will really appreciate all your help. Hoping she has a great time at Uni 💐

You could order OR make up your own hamper of food , as well as the usual student staples of pasta etc you could include some nice snacks and stuff like Jam and peanut butter which are expensive for a student .Also , I know they don't write stuff these days but a small notepad, four envelopes and a book of stamps just in case they have forms to fill in and send off, they've always got a stamp etc to hand.Some flavoured coffee sachets.Stuff like toothpaste and toiletries are expensive, so a starter kit of these would be good too.Basically anything that saves them money !

Thanks everyone! I did contact her mum who told me they’d forgotten to get cooking knives and a wooden chopping board so I dashed out and got them to accompany the other stuff I’d got.

Having spent a night on DD’s student bed I’d give her a decent mattress topper.

I would ask what she has, and what might be provided, but IKEA used to do fabulous packs for students or newlyweds. Crockery, cutlery and glassware (tumblers and wine glasses) in a box for about £50. We still have some of them in our caravan. They are white, with dinner plates, tea plates and bowls for four settings, plus knives forks spoons and teaspoons and two lots of glasses. I think they had mugs too.

They do a more general 'kit box' with frying pans, pizza cutters and coasters, but I think that might be less useful.

Either way, if she's in halls a lot of that might be there already, and similarly if she's sharing a flat it might make sense to see who's bringing what, if she knows the flatmates already.

Money, towards the end of term.

Sporks! Ideal for the inevitable student pasta with sauce meals!

We give a cheque and say it is for food shopping. Of course we can’t guarantee that but we get lots of pictures of what they are cooking over the term.

I wouldn’t think that the majority of students would want a cookbook, as far as I know they will download recipes, if in fact they ever use one. My DDs and DS practically lived on pasta with pesto or pasta sauce and tinned tuna or cooked chicken etc., on top, with a salad bag as a ‘side’.

I just paid for first weeks groceries

I offered my grandson a set of nearly new towels but they were too soft and fluffy!

Ask her what she wants/needs.

A gift card for a supermarket shop?

Nice bedding/blankets?

Kitchen gadgets (if self catering) - airfryer, blender, slow cooker, kettle, toaster etc etc

Nice cookware of stuff like a quiche dish

Nice set of fluffy towels

Some great ideas here, especially the cooking/eating ideas (students are always hungry!). Also, give her your phone number with the comment, "Call me any time at all - I'll be here." I'd give her a little trinket she can put on a shelf, too, to remind her of gran.