Everything my son needed for his first year at uni

To air fryer or not to air fryer, that is the question. It seems some university halls of residence ban them outright, while others are completely fine with it. There are also plenty of stories of everyone on the corridor sharing one, so students often just keep them tucked away in a drawer in their room.

Here's everything I've bought my son. He isn't much of a cook, so there's no frying pan or mixing bowls here, just the basics to hopefully keep him fed.

One tip: when buying plates, bowls and cutlery, go for something distinctive. Avoid plain silver cutlery and white plates and bowls, they're impossible to tell apart from everyone else's in a shared kitchen.

I am sending him with 2 of everything from the cutlery and dinner set, as most kitchens have minimal cupboard space.

Check the size of the bed in halls before you buy anything, some are a strange "large single" size that doesn't match standard bedding sizes. Ours said it comes with a mattress protector, but with mattress toppers so easy to buy now, they feel like a quick win against what's likely to be a fairly thin mattress.

We've gone for two sets of cotton bedding plus a cosy throw. I've also bought an all-seasons duvet, a 4.5 tog and a 9 tog that clip together, so it can be used separately or combined depending on the weather. It's genuinely hard to know how warm or cold their room is going to be until they're actually in it.

This list will change a bit depending on whether they have an ensuite or not. If not, a shower caddy is a brilliant idea, easy to carry to the shared shower room and back, and it doesn't matter if it gets a bit wet.

I chose quick dry cotton towels. There isn't going to be much space for drying things, so the quicker they dry the better.

A shower mat, whether ensuite or shared, will stop cold soggy feet after a shower too.

This is a list of everything else I've bought. Some of it is a bit random, like a mini tool kit that might never even get opened, but could genuinely save the day if it does.

A washing basket, ideally one you can carry to the laundry room and that closes at the top. Waste paper bins are sometimes provided, but I got one with a lid, my mind went straight to leftover takeaways.

Over door hangers were a bit of a gamble, some halls they won't fit over the door, but they might work on a wardrobe or ensuite door instead. Plus an extension lead with surge protection, and a colour changing lamp.