Students’ university shopping lists expand to include air fryers and steamers

Spike in sales of items never previously considered essential on campus as school leavers prepare for first term

It once included bedding, pots, pans and paracetamol. But it seems the checklist of university essentials now covers gadgets such as air fryers and steamers, as searches for and sales of these items have jumped in the run-up to the new term.

As freshers' week approaches and thousands of students prepare to head to university for the first time, they face the perennial question of what to take.