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.
Building development works in close proximity to some existing catered residences are proposed to begin in Summer 2025 – find out more.
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 requirements - FAQs
Our residence catering services strive to accommodate students with food allergies and dietary requirements. While we take every precaution, all allergens are present within our kitchens. Managing food allergies requires strict controls and thorough risk assessments to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
The University of Exeter makes every effort to identify ingredients that may cause allergic reactions. However, please be aware that our kitchens handle common allergens, including:
Dairy (milk, eggs), gluten, fish, shellfish (crustaceans, molluscs), nuts (peanuts, tree nuts), sesame seeds, soya, celery, mustard, lupin, and sulphites (sulphur dioxide).
Despite our strict cross-contamination policies, we cannot guarantee that any dish is completely free from allergens. Students with food allergies should acknowledge this risk.
If you have specific dietary concerns, we encourage you to speak with our catering staff, who will be happy to provide more information about ingredients and preparation methods.
Important notice: The University of Exeter does not assume liability for any allergic reactions to food or drink provided.
When considering your accommodation options, we recommend checking whether catered halls will meet your dietary needs. If you have specific requirements, please contact us at csmarketing@exeter.ac.uk, providing as much detail as possible. Our team will be happy to advise you on the available adaptations and how we can best accommodate your needs.
Upon arrival at your catered residence, students with specific dietary needs or allergies should introduce themselves to our catering team. We recommend doing this at your residence reception during the day, ideally before your first meal service.
During this discussion, the catering team will assess your dietary requirements and determine whether a more comprehensive risk assessment is needed. If so, a meeting will be arranged with the lead chef in your residence. This meeting will help identify unsuitable meals, explore alternative options, and create a tailored meal plan for the weeks ahead.
We make every effort to source Halal-certified meat for specific menu items. However, as we do not operate separate kitchens, we cannot guarantee that meals are fully Halal.
Our menu includes a diverse range of options, with over 50% of our dinner offerings being Vegan, Vegetarian, or Fish-based.
Please note that we are unable to provide Kosher meals.
If you have any questions about your dietary needs before your arrival, please contact us at csmarketing@exeter.ac.uk, and a member of our team will be happy to assist you.
If you are already in residence, feel free to speak with any member of the catering team - they will be pleased to help. We also welcome meal suggestions, so if you have any ideas, we'd love to hear them!
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 28th April, 19th May and 9th June 2025
- Term 3 Week 2 Menu - available the weeks of 5th May and 26th May 2025
- Term 3 Week 3 Menu - available the weeks of 12th May and 2nd June 2025
Taste of... Calendar of Cuisines
Explore cuisine from a different country every Tuesday night. Find out which countries in our Taste of Calendar 2024-2025
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 that is University or academic-related and cannot attend a meal time, please complete the relevant form (Dinner or Breakfast) to request a replacement meal.
Replacement breakfasts must be collected during dinner the night before, from your dining hall. Replacement dinners must be ordered by 10:00 the day before, and be collected on the day you need it between 07:30 - 10:00, from your dining hall.
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 need to show your University ID card before entering the dining room. This is to ensure that only those who have paid for catering services can use it.
When a member of University staff asks to see your ID card, you can ask them for identification too.
Please note that meals are not transferrable to any other person, and can only be taken by the student who is contracted to the room in that catered residence.
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.
Yes, if they are visiting. They can purchase a single meal ticket for one-off occasions but they can't be sold on a regular basis for several days in a row.
