Thousands of baked bean tins and Pot Noodles will soon be disappearing from supermarket shelves as the university years begin for a new set of students.

Among the belongings crammed into parents’ cars will doubtless be the obligatory new saucepan, a set of hand-me-down cutlery and some of Mum’s homemade cakes to impress new friends.

But young chef Tiffany Goodall insists that their diets should never revolve around beans on toast. The author of From Pasta To Pancakes: The Ultimate Student Cookbook is back with her latest cooking epic, First Flat Cookbook. Written in her own first flat in London, it bursts with everything from delicious solo suppers to easy 10-minute meals and weekend brunch ideas.

Kitchen Essentials

• Store cupboard essentials: Balsamic vinegar, chicken stock cubes, chickpeas, coconut milk, couscous, eggs, garlic, honey, lentils, olive oil, pasta, basmati rice, risotto rice, soy sauce, sunflower oil, sweet potatoes, canned tomatoes, white wine vinegar, onions.

• Must-have item for the kitchen: “I use a sharp knife for everything, from crushing garlic and jointing chicken, to carving a roast.”

• Also invest in: A wooden chopping board, hand-held whizzer for speedy soup, ladle, masher, measuring jug, mixing bowls, ovenproof dishes, peeler, spatula and a wooden spoon.

• Best ingredient for a quick meal: “You can do anything with eggs: omelette, pancakes, scrambled eggs. Always keep your fridge topped up with them.”

• Best advice for a hot date: “You don’t want to look like a sweaty cook, so keep it simple. Do as much as you can in advance, so if you’re having steak, make your chips beforehand, and chill your wine.”

“If you’re going to university, it’s always a good idea to go shopping for thrifty starter kits and take a cookbook, like mine!” jokes the 24-year-old.

“When you get there, go around the local supermarket and buy your store cupboard basics – like you would when you go clothes shopping. Oils and vinegars are your investment pieces and then you’ve got foundations to build on with fresh ingredients.”

Tiffany, who trained at the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork, Ireland, wrote her first cookbook when she was at university in Newcastle.

“No-one knew how to cook, but they'd watch me and say, ‘Oh you do it really quickly’, or ‘You only spent £4’, so the cooking fever spread throughout my friendship group and inspired me to write for young people.”

Tiffany’s now lived on her own for a year, with kitten Woody, and says she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s my own space,” she says, “where I know what’s in the fridge.”

Come back tomorrow for some of Tiffany’s recipes to try for yourself.