There are lots of websites with lists of ‘What to take to University (The Student Room‘s one is pretty extensive…) so I won’t go into huge detail, but here’s what I brought and bought and found most useful (and where I got them):

• 3 red non-stick pots, £14.99 from Argos  (I mostly use the small one and the medium one)
• 5 knives, £6.99, also from Argos ( I decided to go for the mid-priced ones and they’re pretty good and not too flimsy, although I mainly use the smallest one- the second one from the bottom in the picture. The set in the link is the one I bought last year but seems to have changed very slightly, the one at the very bottom is new/different)
• 24 piece cutlery set, £3.55, Argos
• 2 side plates, 2 big plates and 2 soup plates. I think mine were from a set from Asda and I only took 2 of each with me, but this is a similar and very cheap set from Argos for £4.56 and includes 4 of each.
• 2 cereal bowls from Tesco. I think they were £0.75 each (similar to these) and I use them all the time for microwaving stuff (with a plate on top) as well as for breakfast
• glasses from Tesco. I started out with 2 but broke one. They cost ca. £1 for four
• 4 mugs I got as presents, but you can get them from Tesco, Asda, Ikea… even the Poundshop I expect
• an electric mixer, £5.97, Argos (you probably don’t actually need one but I like making pancakes and stuff so I bought a cheap one). I also have a set of digital scales (Salter, from Tesco I think for ca. £9 or £10, but you can get them on Amazon) and a small 150 ml measuring jug, also from Tesco for not very much. The small one is handier for me because it has 50ml which most bigger ones don’t.
• 3 plastic mixing bowls. I got them for baking originally but they’re very useful for omelettes and lots of other things as well. I can’t find any like it there anymore but they have a rubber base like these from Asda which is helpful as they don’t slip, and they also have measuring units at the side, although I don’t use those really. I mainly use the small one, except for baking, and my flatmates have often borrowed the big one
• ladle, slotted turner/fish slice (that thing you use to flip pancakes etc.), colander spoon and potato masher from Tesco. They’re made of plastic which is what you’re meant to use for non-stick pots and pans but I unfortunately managed to melt the handle the first time I used it because only the main part is heat resistant and the side of my pan was hot! They were probably only 50p each so fine for everything except the fish slice, but I’m planning to get one with a metal handle and plastic main part from Aldi, they’re £2 there at the moment
• a peeler and can opener. I also got  cheap ones, from Wilkinson I think, but they’re both a bit annoying to be honest, because the peeler isn’t flexible like our one at home and the can opener is just awkward because the grippy bit is so thin. I might get a better one at some point, like this one, which is less than £2 and someday I want a WMF can opener. We have one at home and it’s so much easier to use!
• bottle opener. If you have one with a cork screw attached you’ll probably be the only one and other people will be borrowing it regularly…
• apron (I don’t really use it except occasionally when I’m baking if I remember but it’s good to have anyway) I got mine as a present once
• deep roasting dish type thing, less than £1, Tesco
• flat baking tray, Poundland
• set of..17? plastic tupperware type containers, £3, Ikea. Even the mini ones are so handy, and I used the biggest one as a sort of cutlery tray, which saved a lot of space in my drawer for other stuff like chopping boards
• a red non-stick pan from Aldi. I can’t remember the exact price but I think it was less than £6 and it’s a really good pan
• a mini whisk, £0.50, Wilkinson
• a grater, £0.74, Wilkinson (to be honest it’s not the best grater ever, the plastic around the side cracked a bit when I first used and washed it, but after that it lasted a year and is still ok, plus it was really cheap)
• a wooden spoon, £0.37, and a wooden spatula, £0.28, Wilkinson
• 2 small chopping boards which my Grandma gave me. These ones from Argos are £2.99. I’d really like these colourful ones someday, although I’d probably never remember to use the right colours!
• oven gloves. Poundland usually has them I think and we definitely needed good ones for our oven, because it was always way hotter than it said on the dial
• 1 sieve, from Wilkinson for less than £1. I’d suggest a plastic colander though because they’re much easier to wash!
• apple slicer. We got it free with some apples once but you can also buy them, e.g. on Amazon. Lazy, I know, but nice to have 🙂
• milk foamer/frother. It looks exactly like this but only cost about £3 at Lidl a few years ago. I love having foamy milk in hot chocolate so I brought it along

I think that’s everything.

Some things I wish I’d brought (and might buy this year) are:

• a garlic press because I hate the way the smell doesn’t come off your hands afterwards (although you could use garlic powder too, especially if you’re like me and don’t use garlic very often. Mine got all shriveled because I forgot it was in the cupboard)
• an onion slicer/chopper (see above) kind of like this, although I think you can get them cheaper
• a silicone spatula