Bringing the bare minimum

On moving in day, it is not unusual to see countless cars groaning down the motorway under the pressure of teaming boxes of possessions. I myself equated it to packing my entire life into suitcases. There is however a lot to be said for packing light where you can.

Some things you can't budge on, don't pitch up without a duvet just to save space, but in other areas there's room to be economical. Kitchen equipment is always a big one, but you really don't need six pans, two sieves and a large casserole dish to enable you to cook a healthy meal.

I'm a huge advocate of double usage and it's surprising how much you can do on a bare minimum. Here's my list of culinary essentials (assuming kettle and oven are already provided!)

Two plates
Two bowls (spare is good for fridge storage)
1-2 mugs and cups
Knife, fork and spoon
Sharp knife and chopping board
Medium sized saucepan (with lid to use instead of a colander)
Medium sized frying pan
Scissors
Peeler
Grater
Hand blender and jug (endless soups and smoothies)
Wooden spatula (can be used as a makeshift fish slice and wooden spoon too)
Tin opener

... And I really think that's it, there's so much more you can bring, but it's quite satisfying to be creative with what you have (and it saves space and money for actual food!)