The Student Room Group

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Yanks :rolleyes:
Reply 2
It is a perfectly legitamite question.:smile:
Reply 3
OppressedMass
Yanks :rolleyes:

That was uncalled for. :rolleyes:

Sijia, I don't think I've heard of the food at halls being served buffet style.
Sijia
I'm probably going to be staying at either Commonwealth or Hughes Parry - I think anyway.

How is the food served? Is it dining style, or is it buffet so you can have as much as you like?


At present, all the intercollegiate halls except International (and Lillian Penson, but that is a postgraduate hall and different in many ways) have the same type of "canteen" style service.

You pick up a tray at the beginning, then move down a servery where there are members of staff to dish up the things you ask for. You usually help yourself to pudding and salad. Most halls (not sure about Hughes Parry / Commonwealth) have a time near the end of service when you are allowed to go round a second time for more food if you're still hungry.

It's different at International because not all the food costs are included in everyone's accommodation fees, so there is a card payment system. Rumours suggest that the other halls will adopt a similar credit-based payment system within the next few years - but not next year.

Buffets? Not usually. At Connaught we have special buffet nights like at the beginning of the year and a summer barbecue or two; and serving arrangements for Christmas dinner are completely different. Some of the other halls have special nights as well.
Reply 5
Anyone who stays or who is gonna stay in Canterbury Hall?
Reply 6
What sort of food is actualy served at the halls, is it processed or fresh? etc etc.
Bissman
What sort of food is actualy served at the halls, is it processed or fresh? etc etc.


Hughes Parry, Canterbury, and Connaught Halls presently contract out their catering service to a company called Host Contract Management. Host offer a variety of service styles, but I think all those three halls have opted for their Food Nation healthy eating service (Connaught definitely has Food Nation; I'm pretty sure the others do, too).

Here are some pages about the Food Nation service (very general, and not everything applies across all sites, but it gives you an idea)...

http://www.hostmgt.com/html/foodnation_style.aspx

http://www.hostmgt.com/html/foodnation.aspx

http://www.hostmgt.com/pdf/Food_Nation_10_Commandments.pdf

http://www.hostmgt.com/pdf/Food_Nation_Menus.pdf

I have some actual monthly menus for Connaught Hall somewhere on my computer; if I can find them I'll post them for you.

A typical breakfast would be any combination (subject a maximum "points" value - slightly complicated system) of hash browns, bacon / sausage, scrambled / fried egg, plum tomato, fried mushrooms / baked beans, toast, cereal, fruit, and yoghurt with tea, coffee, and/or fruit juice.

A typical evening meal consists of a vegetarian soup, one "main" option (out of three choices - meat, vegetarian, or fish/poultry) with rice / pasta / potato / vegetable sides, and a pudding. Salad is available every night, and of course tea, coffee, fruit juice, etc.

The food in halls of residence is unavoidably a bit like school dinners. There are always a few students who really don't like it, but it's all perfectly edible and often - in my opinion - quite nice. As a member of staff, I do have the option of cooking my own food but I still eat in the dining hall most days if I get home from my daytime work in time; so it can't be that bad, eh?

Residents at Connaught Hall can influence the type of food that is served through the Facilities Committee (details in attached pdf file); although budgetary constraints dictate many of the choices we can make, it is certainly possible to adjust the menus according to some of the preferences of each year's student intake. Fresh food / low fat / low salt / high fibre issues commonly come up and Host do their best to meet residents' expectations. I'm sure other halls must have similar feedback arrangments.

International Hall uses a different catering provider; I'm not sure about arrangements at Commonwealth or Nutford.

EDIT July 2013: All eight intercollegiate halls now contract out their catering to ARAMARK. More information here: http://www.connaught-hall.org.uk/pages/facilities/catering.html
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 8
adrianclark
At present, all the intercollegiate halls except International (and Lillian Penson, but that is a postgraduate hall and different in many ways) have the same type of "canteen" style service.

You pick up a tray at the beginning, then move down a servery where there are members of staff to dish up the things you ask for. You usually help yourself to pudding and salad. Most halls (not sure about Hughes Parry / Commonwealth) have a time near the end of service when you are allowed to go round a second time for more food if you're still hungry.

It's different at International because not all the food costs are included in everyone's accommodation fees, so there is a card payment system. Rumours suggest that the other halls will adopt a similar credit-based payment system within the next few years - but not next year.

Buffets? Not usually. At Connaught we have special buffet nights like at the beginning of the year and a summer barbecue or two; and serving arrangements for Christmas dinner are completely different. Some of the other halls have special nights as well.

Thanks for that excellent clarification. :yy: +rep. :smile:
Knogle
Thanks for that excellent clarification. :yy: +rep. :smile:


Too kind. Thank you :smile:
Reply 10
Thank you! That was very helpful!
Reply 11
adrianclark
Hughes Parry, Canterbury, and Connaught Halls presently contract out their catering service to a company called Host Contract Management. Host offer a variety of service styles, but I think all those three halls have opted for their Food Nation healthy eating service (Connaught definitely has Food Nation; I'm pretty sure the others do, too).

Here are some pages about the Food Nation service (very general, and not everything applies across all sites, but it gives you an idea)...

http://www.hostmgt.com/html/foodnation_style.aspx

http://www.hostmgt.com/html/foodnation.aspx

http://www.hostmgt.com/pdf/Food_Nation_10_Commandments.pdf

http://www.hostmgt.com/pdf/Food_Nation_Menus.pdf

I have some actual monthly menus for Connaught Hall somewhere on my computer; if I can find them I'll post them for you.

A typical breakfast would be any combination (subject a maximum "points" value - slightly complicated system) of hash browns, bacon / sausage, scrambled / fried egg, plum tomato, fried mushrooms / baked beans, toast, cereal, fruit, and yoghurt with tea, coffee, and/or fruit juice.

A typical evening meal consists of a vegetarian soup, one "main" option (out of three choices - meat, vegetarian, or fish/poultry) with rice / pasta / potato / vegetable sides, and a pudding. Salad is available every night, and of course tea, coffee, fruit juice, etc.

The food in halls of residence is unavoidably a bit like school dinners. There are always a few students who really don't like it, but it's all perfectly edible and often - in my opinion - quite nice. As a member of staff, I do have the option of cooking my own food but I still eat in the dining hall most days if I get home from my daytime work in time; so it can't be that bad, eh?

Residents at Connaught Hall can influence the type of food that is served through the Facilities Committee (details in attached pdf file); although budgetary constraints dictate many of the choices we can make, it is certainly possible to adjust the menus according to some of the preferences of each year's student intake. Fresh food / low fat / low salt / high fibre issues commonly come up and Host do their best to meet residents' expectations. I'm sure other halls must have similar feedback arrangments.

International Hall uses a different catering provider; I'm not sure about arrangments at Commonwealth or Nutford.
Cheers for the info, hope to see you at connaught in september
Breakfast = yum
Dinner = yuck

I so miss having eggs, sausage, beans, and hashbrowns every day for breakfast...
Reply 13
more adventurous
Breakfast = yum
Dinner = yuck

I so miss having eggs, sausage, beans, and hashbrowns every day for breakfast...


What did they serve for dinner that was icky?
Sijia
I'm probably going to be staying at either Commonwealth or Hughes Parry - I think anyway.

How is the food served? Is it dining style, or is it buffet so you can have as much as you like?


Sure you're not gonna miss doing undergrad in the US...haha

When I was at Magdalen College Oxford the dinner ladies gave us evil looks if we asked for a little bit more!
Reply 15
I would love to do undergraduate studies in the us, why u choose london sijia?
Reply 16
shady lane
Sure you're not gonna miss doing undergrad in the US...haha

When I was at Magdalen College Oxford the dinner ladies gave us evil looks if we asked for a little bit more!


Give them evil looks back! It's the only way! And I won't be missing undergrad because every time I go to a buffet, I only get 2 plates of food, one of which is salad. Mum always did say it was a waste of money for me to go to buffets.:wink:

Bissman
I would love to do undergraduate studies in the us, why u choose london sijia?


The General Education requirements were a major turnoff and I didn't like any of the University of Californias, except maybe Berkeley, which chose not to give me an offer. And I wanted to be in a city where there was exciting things to do - in my opinion at least. I'm just so bored of Southern California. Besides, I though UoL had more strict and reputable educational system than the UCs.

And London was closer than New Zealand and Australia - it's also probably not a good idea to chose your future based on your adoration of lambs and koalas.:redface:
Sijia
What did they serve for dinner that was icky?


Everything. Except for the roast chicken.

They couldn't even make pasta right.
more adventurous
Everything. Except for the roast chicken.

They couldn't even make pasta right.


That sounds quite harsh. Which hall were you at?

I've eaten at Connaught, International, Hughes Parry, and College (when it was open) Halls. Like I said above, it can be a bit school-dinnerish but always edible and often quite nice. Even if there's nothing else you fancy, you can always make a meal at Connaught Hall from soup, salad, and a jacket potato, all of which should be available every day.
Canterbury.

The soup was only good occassionally, and jacket potatoes were only available occassionally.