[little-red-rosie]

Hi,

I'm currently in year 12 and considering applying to Cambridge next year and I'm trying to work out which colleges I should visit. I was just wondering if anyone could recommend which colleges are the best for self catering?

I've gathered from reading the prospectus that most people just eat in hall, but I'd at least like the option to cook and from what I've read it seems like some kitchens don't even have a hob!

Any responses would be gratefully received!

[FlobberDobber]

I think most colleges have similar self catering facilities

[baie]

hmm, most colleges don't allow you to fully self cater, you have to pay MMC- a charge which goes to the kitchen and in return get a meal allowance.

I know at Homerton you don't have to pay this if you are a vegan, because they can't cater for your diet, same for other dietary requirements. probably the same in most colleges, so none are fully self catered?

Homerton has hobs and microwaves.

[Topaz_eyes]

Downing's pretty good, my floor has an oven and a hob, and one girl never goes to hall and always cooks, so it's definitely possible

[Languages Nutter]

(Original post by little-red-rosie)
Hi,

I'm currently in year 12 and considering applying to Cambridge next year and I'm trying to work out which colleges I should visit. I was just wondering if anyone could recommend which colleges are the best for self catering?

I've gathered from reading the prospectus that most people just eat in hall, but I'd at least like the option to cook and from what I've read it seems like some kitchens don't even have a hob!

Any responses would be gratefully received!

Most Colleges offer kitchenettes shared between three and five people: these tend to have a microwave, a kettle (sometimes) and hobs. They don't usually have ovens, as far as I can tell, since the College does value people eating together in Hall or in a canteen.

You may find that the sum of money you pay isn't always called the MMC - at Clare it's called the Kitchen Fixed Charge, and it works slightly differently. Paying it (per term) allows you to get cheap, subsidised food in the Buttery and in Hall, all of which is charged onto your University Card and appears on your College Bill.

Hope this helps!

[thefish_uk]

(Original post by baie)
hmm, most colleges don't allow you to fully self cater, you have to pay MMC- a charge which goes to the kitchen and in return get a meal allowance.

Many people I knew at my college fully self catered. They just paid the KFC (or, the KFC part of the "Residence Charge" we were billed for) and didn't use the canteen. Simple. Though I'd recommend using it in first year at least - it's a great way to get to know the other freshers.

Robinson had the option for second and third years to live in the houses on Adams and Sylvester Road which had large well-equipped kitchens and were great for self-catering. As far as I know their kitchens are still large and well-equipped (a current student could correct me if not?). It might be worth looking at which colleges give you options like this, and which expect second and third years to carry on living in staircase-type accomodation with rubbish kitchens.

[grovichik]

St Catharine's 1st and 3rd years have hobs and microwaves. 2nd years live in flats at Chads and get ovens as well :-)

[didgeridoo12uk]

at jesus first years just have hobs. but once you're in second/third year and move into a house you'll get ovens as well.

and i sort out pretty much all my own food. i'm always too busy to get food at the proper times so just cook everything myself

[Doughnuts!!]

(Original post by grovichik)
St Catharine's 1st and 3rd years have hobs and microwaves. 2nd years live in flats at Chads and get ovens as well :-)

Thanks for this! I'd always thought that Catz was one of the colleges with terrible self-catering facilities.

[grovichik]

(Original post by Doughnuts!!)


Thanks for this! I'd always thought that Catz was one of the colleges with terrible self-catering facilities.

It varies quite a lot between gyp rooms. For example, my gyp room hobs take over an hour to cook pasta :-( But in theory we have hobs and I could probably ask them to be fixed if I wanted to.

[Craghyrax]

Most colleges I know of are pretty rubbish for self catering. For instance they almost all charge the KFC or make you eat a certain minimum amount in hall each term. This can be very limiting if you don't like hall food, have health requirements or simply want control over your diet.

From what I've seen Trinity Hall has exceptionally good facilities but that is in their higher range more expensive accommodation. I don't know about the other accommodation here.
Don't apply to Peterhouse for this issue!

Finally if you're applying as a mature student (21 or above) then mature student colleges have MUCH better cooking facilities for their students.

[gethsemane342]

Avoid Christ's. You'll just have hobs and probably a microwave (though not necessarily even that - my kitchen last year didn't have one. A nearby one did so it wasn't as though i had no access to one but it was annoying balancing my dinner through 4 doors and 2 narrow corridors...). Self-catering is entirely possible if you adore pasta or anything else which can be done on hobs only.

I hear Murray Edwards actually has really good self-catering facilities. Haven't seen them but someone from there told me she nearly always cooked for herself.

[AlexG55]

Emma's not too good for this- first-year accommodation just has combi-ovens. Most second- and third-year accommodation (though not all) has hobs, and some second-year places have ovens.

From what I've seen Newnham and Trinity are quite good.

[comrade_jon]

King's have naff cooking facilities from what I saw within the college, dunno about the others down the road mind you. However maybe it's just lazy me who loves not having to cook; my parents think I should learn to cook as a student but ah well that's for postgrad!

Just for reference some colleges tend to be easier than others to accomodate exact dietary requirements, of which you can probably ask around on here to current students. From what I'm told King's are excellent in dealing with this, and also are celebrated for having particularly fantastic food, so make sure you search around the colleges for whomever is slagging off the food and who raves about it!

[Harry S Truman]

(Original post by AlexG55)
Emma's not too good for this- first-year accommodation just has combi-ovens. Most second- and third-year accommodation (though not all) has hobs, and some second-year places have ovens.

From what I've seen Newnham and Trinity are quite good.

How is the food you get in Hall at Emma, out of interest?

[Mrs Cullen]

At Girton, each kitchen has an oven, hobs, (normally a microwave too), a toaster, kettle and a fridge. Some kitchens have freezers and lockable cupboards. Most cupboards don't lock, but people tend not to steal your stuff. You can always keep it in your room if you're worried.

So you can self-cater here pretty well if you want to. Most people go down to hall because it's quite nice to socialise with people, but I do know a few people who cook for themselves every day. And because there is no hall on saturdays, every does big cook-ups together, which is nice.

Before I got here, I thought I would self-cater a lot, because I'm allergic to gluten. But the cafeteria staff are really good at making sure there is something I can eat in hall each day, and the food is really tasty, so I don't ever really bother to make my own food. I've found that it's just easier and more fun to go to hall. But the facilities are always there if you fancy something in particular!

[Got the tshirt]

My sister at Downing has a proper oven and hob and a good sized fridge and seperate freezer. There is no microwave and I think the people who live on her stair have provided the kettle and toaster (definately not the colleges). The kitchen has been refurbished and is modern but has nowhere to eat so everyone has to take their food to their room or eat standing up. Her stair did manage to cook a full christmas dinner (for 9) and ate it in one of the bigger rooms.

[Craghyrax]

(Original post by Harry S Truman)
How is the food you get in Hall at Emma, out of interest?

Its pretty good for what you pay. There's usually a good selection, and a better saladette/snack/cold food range than lots of halls I've seen.

Its nothing amazing on quality, but price and variety do mediate that a bit in contrast to other colleges.

[Got the tshirt]

My mum visited my sister at Downing today and there is now an extending table in the kitchen so people can eat in there and be sociable,

[schrodinger's kitten]

Newnham is good. Every kitchen has at least a hob, fridge, kettle and microwave, although there is a shortage of freezers. Many of them contain tables to eat at. Most newnham kitchens have ovens, which is rare in other colleges where the kitchens can be very basic.