Catered accommodation
If you want the convenience of all your main meals being prepared for you and the reassurance that your food bills and utilities are budgeted for in your rent, why not consider a catered residence?
Your rent includes 16 meals per week throughout term time - breakfast and dinner 7 days a week, plus brunch on the weekends. You also have a mini fridge in your room and access to a utility area which has a sink, microwave, and worktops so you can prepare lunch or light snacks.
Contract lengths for our catered accommodation are shorter than in self-catered residences, at just 32 weeks. This means that you don't have fees to pay for the vacation periods, but you and your belongings do need to move out of your accommodation during those times.
We offer an excellent variety of dishes, including a vegetarian choice at every service and at least one vegan option every dinner. We also do themed nights called Taste Of…, dedicating one night a week to cuisine from a specific country around the world.
Food allergies and dietary requirement FAQs
Our residences catering services are well equipped and make every effort to accommodate the dietary requirements of students with food allergies. If you have specific questions before arriving at University, please contact us at csmarketing@exeter.ac.uk and a member of the team will answer your queries. If you have any meal suggestions, we would also love to hear them!
Our diverse menu includes four hot protein choices, vegan and vegetarian options, a salad bar, and both potato and sweet potato jackets every evening, ensuring a variety of options for all students. During breakfast, students have the liberty to choose from a self-service selection, with all allergens clearly communicated by the counter staff or the chef in charge.
Upon arrival at the University, students with specific dietary needs are encouraged to introduce themselves to our catering team. A meeting will be arranged with the lead chef within their residence, when they will run through a comprehensive risk assessment, identify unsuitable meals, and discuss alternative options. This assessment is particularly crucial for students with airborne allergies to ensure all necessary precautions are taken. At the meeting, the student and catering team would discuss the specifics of their diet and a plan moving forward.
Catering for students with severe allergies requires strict management and a thorough risk assessment. In such cases, we use separate cooking utensils and saucepans to prepare and cook these meals.
For students with severe nut allergies, we ensure that separate pans and utensils are designated in the kitchen. If a recipe includes peanuts, which is rare (once in a 4-week cycle), we pre-arrange to serve a suitable meal in the student's bedroom to minimise any risk.
We strive to source Halal certified meat for specific menu items but cannot promote Halal options exclusively as we do not operate separate kitchens. We also have a culinary offer that features over 50% of the dinner menu as Vegan, Vegetarian and Fish options.
We are unable to provide Kosher meals.
Where possible, we look to use the finest local produce and the most ethical and sustainable suppliers.
Please view our sustainability case studies and the University's Sustainable Food Policy for further information.
Dinner menus
- Term 3 Week 1 Menu - available the weeks of 29 April and 27 May
- Term 3 Week 2 Menu - available the weeks of 6 May and 3 June
- Term 3 Week 3 Menu - available the weeks of 13 May and 10 June
- Term 3 Week 4 Menu - available the week of 20 May
Taste of... Calendar of Cuisines
Explore cuisine from a different country every Tuesday night. Find out which countries in our Taste of...Calendar .
Breakfast and Brunch menus
| Breakfast | Monday to Friday 7:30am-9.30am |
|---|---|
| Continental breakfast | Saturday 8.00am-10.30am Sunday 8.30am-10.30am |
| Brunch | Saturday and Sunday 11.00am-1.00pm |
| Dinner | Monday to Sunday 5.30pm-7.30pm |
If you have an unavoidable commitment and cannot attend a meal time, please complete the relevant form (Dinner or Breakfast) to request a replacement meal.
The University cannot give refunds for meals that are not taken.
If you’re absent from catered accommodation for longer than one week due to illness, you may contact the Accommodation Office (in writing via SID, marked for the attention of the Accommodation Office Manager) for a refund of the meals missed. The application must be accompanied by a medical certificate.
The Accommodation Office will consider the request and contact the student's College and Residence to confirm the absence. Any refund given will only be for the food costs for the period and will be returned to you as a reduction via your University student account.
A refund is not an automatic entitlement, and the University will determine whether a refund should be given.
If you’re in a catered residence, you’ll be given a photo ID meal card and number when you arrive. This is to ensure that only those who have paid for catering services can use it.
You must show your card number at the dining room door. Anyone who does not have this card will not be served. Refusing to identify yourself when asked or behaving in an inappropriate manner towards staff members will be considered a disciplinary offence.
If a member of University staff asks to see your ID card, you can ask them for identification too.
It is a disciplinary offence to give your meal card to anyone else or to use someone else’s card. If you do, you may be liable to disciplinary action and a minimum £50 financial penalty.
We want everybody to enjoy the community atmosphere and feel welcome. To support this, we ask you to please:
- wear appropriate clothing whilst in the dining room. You will need to change if you’re wearing soiled clothes.
- always wear footwear for hygiene and health and safety reasons.
- not bring alcohol into the dining room.
