How did that happen? I know – it’s what happens. Kids grow up, become adults and it seems to happen overnight. But it has got me thinking about young people leaving home and feeding themselves.

My son has a bit of an advantage. His years of scouting and Duke of Edinburgh means he can cook – even if it will be eaten camp style straight from the pot. He can follow a recipe and he eats most things. Not ever never a (fresh) tomato! (Charlie and Lola reference for those who haven’t spotted it.) Aubergine and courgettes won’t be a feature either but most other things he will eat.

He can live on dried food for 10 days straight – thank you Duke of Edinburgh expeditions. So if he has emergency supplies of dried ingredients he will survive if the money runs out. With a veggie dad he knows how to cook with beans and pulses so if meat is pricey he can still eat well without it.

He will have to learn to shop well and budget. He will have to remember to go and cook, choose what he is going to eat and not fall into that trap of eating the same thing all the time because it is the easy option, think anything on toast or in a wrap or sauce with pasta for every meal. They are not bad options just the same thing all the time is not great for fueling yourself long term.

There will be a lot of families hitting the same stage and wondering how well their young adult is going to cope. And a lot of about to be students about to be thrown into a student kitchen for the first time – with all the challenges that brings. Shared fridges with new life forms and strange smells. And disappearing milk. Everyone wanting to cook at the same time or turning up after everyone else has cooked but no cleaning up has been done.

There is a perception that uni students can’t cook and that’s unfair. There are teenagers who can cook and love it. Proper young Masterchefs. There are many others who have had to fend for themselves often enough and are expected to chip in with cooking at home. Even with a decent level of cooking ability, it can be a huge step up to have to cook with only what you have bought without the store cupboards of home. It can also be a challenge to cook for one and choose what to eat every day – finding a new daily rhythm and making time to shop and eat. Making sure the food lasts until the next installment of cash.

Of course there are some teenagers who have never turned on an oven or lifted a pan in their short lives. The latter group should get themselves in the kitchen and at least have a few simple meals they can pull together before they head off otherwise a life of takeaways and ready meals await – even the cheapest options are going to burn a whole in a student loan and really won’t be a culinary pleasure. There are only so many pot noodles you can eat, even the posh ones from Korea or Japan.

So what can you as a parent do to help these young people get off to a good start?

• If they haven’t been cooking much at all get them in the kitchen. If they have never set foot in a supermarket then take them shopping.

• Challenge them to cook a meal for the family with an amount of money that you give them – this is something we do with Scouts and Explorers. Tasks like this help to give a real sense of what food costs.

• Do a food budget sheet or help set them up with a likely weekly menu and shopping list.

• Get a decent starter pack of kitchen essentials that stack well – maybe fit into a box so they are easy to transport and store. Chopping board, pot, pan, wooden spoon, spatula, tin opener, large bowl etc

• Get a little box of seasonings and long life items. Stock powder, herbs, favourite sauces, chilli, cans of tuna or sweetcorn or soup, spices etc. It’s amazing how the most basic of ingredients can be perked up with a dash of chilli or a sprinkle of herbs.

• A cookbook – something aimed at students or low cost cooking (think something by Jack Munro) or cooking for one.

There are lots of tips on food tricks to save money like on sites like Save The Students

It’s also not a bad idea to send them off with a first aid kit – kitchens have sharp things and hot things. Being prepared to deal with a cut or burn is not a bad idea. Scout leader coming out in me there!