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Cambridge College for vegan couple

Hi all!

I'm a European (non-UK) student looking into options for doing my master's degree in physics in the UK after I complete my Bachelor here. I'd love to go to Cambridge, and I have some questions about the colleges.

If I go, I will bring my partner along, who will not be a student. Would that be a problem?

We are vegans, so if we don't have a self-catering flat/study the hall food will have to have (good) vegan options every day. I noticed that Lucy Cavendish offered vegan options, but my partner is male so I guess Lucy's out of the question then.

We are both past 30 and would appreciate a more private living than rooms with shared toilets and baths.

Is this an impossible wish list for Cambridge colleges?

If we decide to try to find accommodation outside of colleges, what prices (incl utilities and tax) should we expect to pay for a flat with one bedroom, a living room and kitchen?
I was in Oxford, but I would say that your best bet would be to find a flat somewhere convenient in Cambridge. That way, you have the best of both worlds - close in the student environment for networking and socialising, but still with a completely private, quiet place to live with your own kitchen and facilities where you don't have to worry about being disturbed.

Otherwise, just my experience as a student, I am a vegetarian and I shared a student house with 4 others. I didn't have any problems - we all did our own food anyway, except for the occasisions when I cooked for house - every thursday dinner we had a house meal I cooked. It was something of a time to forget about who was scoring the most girls and who was going off with who, and just spending time as friends over a meal once a week.

But yeah, even in a student house with 5 of us, I didn't have problems as a vegetarian, and honestly, wouldn't have been a problem as a vegan either. But for the privacy part of things, I think you want to find a flat somewhere between the two of you.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by curie
Hi all!

I'm a European (non-UK) student looking into options for doing my master's degree in physics in the UK after I complete my Bachelor here. I'd love to go to Cambridge, and I have some questions about the colleges.

If I go, I will bring my partner along, who will not be a student. Would that be a problem?

We are vegans, so if we don't have a self-catering flat/study the hall food will have to have (good) vegan options every day. I noticed that Lucy Cavendish offered vegan options, but my partner is male so I guess Lucy's out of the question then.

We are both past 30 and would appreciate a more private living than rooms with shared toilets and baths.

Is this an impossible wish list for Cambridge colleges?

If we decide to try to find accommodation outside of colleges, what prices (incl utilities and tax) should we expect to pay for a flat with one bedroom, a living room and kitchen?


Hi there, just to clarify, you have to be female to be enrolled as a student at Lucy Cavendish, but your partner would be perfectly entitled to eat in hall with you, or to share one of the College's flats for couples with you. The vegan options aren't stellar at any Cambridge College, to be honest, but they are acceptable at Lucy Cavendish, and it certainly has the best vegan options I've had at a Formal Hall.

You can get an idea of prices for private accommodation on the University of Cambridge Accommodation website.
Reply 3
Oh, that is good news! I really liked the feel of Lucy's when I read through the website. Are there any other colleges that offer vegan options every day?

What is it like for non-student partners to live in Cambridge, would he be excluded from many things because he's not a student? I want to take part in college life, but I don't want him to feel shut out or left behind. I know he'd rather live in London, so I'm trying to get a better picture of what it would be like for him in Cambridge to see how it compares.
Original post by curie
Oh, that is good news! I really liked the feel of Lucy's when I read through the website. Are there any other colleges that offer vegan options every day?

What is it like for non-student partners to live in Cambridge, would he be excluded from many things because he's not a student? I want to take part in college life, but I don't want him to feel shut out or left behind. I know he'd rather live in London, so I'm trying to get a better picture of what it would be like for him in Cambridge to see how it compares.


I think most colleges will provide a vegan option, if they are notified in advance that a vegan is coming in. Otherwise, you may find yourself eating a lot of baked potatoes and salad!

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