Catering at Intercollegiate Halls

5-a-day

To help you get your recommended five servings of fruit and vegetables, we offer:

• three whole fruit choices and one cut fruit every day at breakfast/brunch; 
• an extra piece of whole fruit, in addition to your 6 breakfast / 8 brunch items; 
• two vegetable side dishes daily; 
• a salad bar; and 
• a fruit alternative to dessert.

You can take any 6 items for breakfast; any 8 items for brunch, plus an extra piece of whole fruit. For dinner, you can take a main dish with any two side dishes (salad bar counts as one side dish). Refer to our meal entitlement information for full details.

Brain-boosting seeds

• Top your soup with sunflower or pumpkin seeds – rich in magnesium, zinc, selenium, and omega fatty acids – thought to boost your mood, reduce anxiety, and improve memory and concentration.

Caffeine reduction

• Too much caffeine can trigger your stress response and reduce sleep quality, especially if consumed in the evening. 
• Ask for decaf tea or coffee, or for green tea, which has less caffeine than black tea and is rich in antioxidant flavonoids.

Fresh and seasonal

• We base our menu on the Live Well campaign, so your diet can be in tune with the rhythms of nature and your own mindfulness.

Fried-food-free breakfasts

• Fried foods are linked to heart disease and low mood. 
• Except for fried eggs, we don’t fry breakfast/brunch items: everything is baked, grilled, or boiled.

Fried potatoes

• We serve fried potato dishes (e.g., chips, wedges) no more than twice per week.

High-fibre cereals

• We always offer one high-fibre cereal for breakfast/brunch. 
• Dietary fibre helps prevent heart disease and is associated with longer (healthier) telomeres – the protective “caps” on the end of our chromosomes.

Knowledge is power

• We use the EatWell Plate by Public Health England to help you make healthy menu choices. 
• We will provide further healthy eating information throughout the year.

Leafy greens

• Dark green, leafy vegetables are rich in magnesium and folic acid. They can aid relaxation and improve your mood. 
• We serve leafy greens twice a week, either as a hot side or from the salad bar.

Low-fat milk and yogurts

• We offer yogurt daily at breakfast and as a dessert at dinner time, always including a low-fat option. We also offer semi-skimmed milk.

Naked salads!

• Except for coleslaw and potato salad, all our salad bar options leave dressings “on the side.”

Porridge

• Porridge oats can help reduce your cholesterol. 
• We make our porridge with water, so it’s suitable for vegans too.

Vegan choices

• Our menus include a variety of vegan dishes. 
• Our soups are always vegetarian (vegan four nights a week). 
• Try going meat-free some days of the week to reduce your carbon footprint. 
• Environmental sustainability goes hand-in-hand with wellbeing.

Whole grains & wholemeal

• A wholemeal bread/roll option is available every mealtime. 
• We serve brown rice at dinner once a week and wholemeal pasta every two weeks. 
• Our brunch pasta bakes always use wholemeal pasta. 
• Whole grains are rich in B vitamins and selenium, and are linked to better memory, less stress, lower risk of depression, and healthier chromosomes. 
• Wholemeal bread is high in dietary fibre.