In this very fitting article considering current affairs, returning volunteer Label writer, Ellis Ward, reminds us of the comforts which make being at home so satisfying. Home truly is where the heart is!
The independent life changes and student lifestyle that university enforces automatically make you miss the comforts of your family home – appreciate the little things. Whether it be a constantly full fridge, a kitchen bin that isn’t overflowing into neighboring areas, or a sofa big enough to fit more than three people on it; home is where the heart is. It’s during this period, being a final year student at Loughborough and returning to my family home in a few months, that I reflect on the things I love most about being at home in an attempt to ignore how much I am going to miss university life.
A roast dinner. Nothing beats a roast dinner. But not just any roast dinner… Mum’s roast dinner. Sundays are characterized by a ropey start, the result of a heavy night out drinking the night before, but as you make your way downstairs (it’s 2 pm and this is the first time you’re showing face) you smell it… the roast potatoes. The crispy, crunchy, golden potatoes. Instantly the hangover passes, you leap down the stairs into the kitchen where you see the Yorkshire puddings and you think, I cannot wait to fill you with gravy later. Mum’s standing at the kitchen worktop making her famous gravy, in goes the red wine (hair of the dog, she knows me well), when you turn and see the chicken. This is the best-looking chicken you have ever seen, cut beautifully into perfectly sized slithers. You sit down, the plate is put in front of you and you notice dribble appearing from your lip. The first bite is sensational and you demolish the plate in no more than 10 minutes, following a crawl to the living room sofa with a belly the size of Mount Everest. Nothing beats Mums roast dinner.
Everyone knows the feeling of fresh new bedsheets. Now, I don’t know about you, but my university experience of this is very different from my home experience. As I look now at my fresh new bed sheets that lay on my bed at university, I am quite disappointed. Not only do they possess a stain, despite having been through our washing machine multiple times, from the tea that I accidentally spilled right in the center at the beginning of the year, but they are extremely creased, and I can’t say I am much a fan of the smell of Lidl’s washing capsules. My disappointment only makes me fonder of the idea to return to my freshly ironed, Bold 2in1, fluffy duvet awaiting my homecoming.
Finally, a home-made brew. If you’re British, then you’ll know there is nothing like a good cuppa, but a homemade cuppa tops them all. Not only do you have the luxury of milk that you aren’t questioning whether it’s still ok to use or not, but I have the treat to a Yorkshire teabag – absolutely delish. For those of you that choose to drink PG Tips, you are not a true tea drinker and should probably stick to water. To complete the experience, it’s partnered faultlessly with a rich tea biscuit, dunked to perfection to avoid any biscuit breakaway, soggy and succulent. Mmm, tastes like home to me.
The magic thing about home is although it feels good to leave, to experience new things, become independent and learn to be an adult, it feels even better to go back. That is why, although I will miss Loughborough, I can’t wait to be back to the warmth and coziness of my family home and having mum around to deliver some good food and sort my dirty washing.
Article written by Ellis Ward
Header designed by Sarah Hannaford
