As a time-poor Londoner who isn’t exactly cash-rich, there comes a time every month when my culinary repertoire shrinks to what’s left in the cupboard and the few recipes I can recall from the haze of my student years. By far my favourite of these ‘recipes’ (it feels wrong to not couch the word in quotation marks), is my five-minute fish finger sandwich. The last time you ate fish fingers was probably off a primary school tray (the ones with designated sections for your turkey dinosaurs, jelly and cutlery), but hear me out before you scoff.

Back at Exeter when I was strapped for cash (never time, that’s all I had back then), I’d whack four fish fingers in the oven, toast thick slices of white bread – spreading one piece with mayo and one with ketchup – then sandwich the two together. If you’re feeling a Birds Eye spree coming on, you’ll be tickled to learn that many a London eatery has cottoned onto the fish finger phenomenon, with Canteen, Smiths of Smithfield, and lunchtime favourite Leon all serving poshed-up versions on their menus.

To smarten up your sandwich at home, try swapping mayo for homemade tartar sauce (capers and dill love a bit of bread-crumbed fish) and bog-standard bread for a toasted ciabatta roll. Although my 21 year-old self would shudder at the thought, finish with a squeeze of lemon and a handful of rocket.

Here are some equally studenty suggestions to keep you going until pay day:

1. Heinz tomato soup poured on top of pasta (try grating parmesan on top if it’s simply too slovenly).

2. Mac and cheese out of a packet, garnished with cut up frankfurters.

3. A slice of brown toast, topped with cheese and salami slices. Grill for a couple of minutes until the cheese bubbles.

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