Cambridge University Colleges are not places where the students have classes. They are mainly accommodation places that organize events, balls, and dinners. In order to make the students feel at home, the colleges provide a wide range of services. Here are a few examples of what you can find in Homerton College.
The Michaelmas Catering
Let’s start with the self-service restaurant. There, you will find a wide variety of courses Monday to Friday: breakfast from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., lunch from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. You can also have breakfast and lunch on Saturday, and a typical English brunch on most Sundays.
Regarding lunch and dinner, for starters, there is a buffet of about fifteen different ingredients (mostly vegetables) to make your own salad bowl according to your preference. You should expect to pay around £3 for a salad bowl.
Concerning main courses, you will find meat (white and red) and fish every day. With this you can add one or more side dishes from a selection of 4 or 5 possible choices (fries, rice, steamed vegetables…). Again, you will pay around £3 for the main dish and the side dish. It is also important to know that for each food cooked, its composition is displayed, specifying that it does not contain gluten or that the dish is vegan for example.
Last, regarding desserts, you can choose between the (hot) desert of the day (pies, cakes with custard…), fruit or a selection of cold deserts (tarts, puddings, cakes, yoghurts…). It costs a little less than £2 for a desert.
Once you have you ordered your food, you will find seating in the dining hall. Opened in Spring of 2022, Homerton College’s dining hall modern version of the traditional British universities dining halls, but much cozier with its wooden architecture.
The Buttery
Now, let’s talk about the cafeteria, or “The Buttery”, as Homerton College officially named it. Opened in the spring of 2022 alongside the new dining hall (Michaelmas Catering), the Buttery is thus a brand-new timber pavilion where students can enjoy their break in a cozy and comforting place.
The cafeteria is built on two levels and has a mezzanine. Under its high roof, we can feel the wide volumes of the room. Its gigantic bay windows make it particularly luminous and cozy with its wooden floors and walls.
On the ground floor, you can find seating and tables for you to have your own lunch or a snack. If you didn’t bring your own, you can of course buy some at the counter. This is the main part of the Buttery as it is where the magic happens. Indeed, every day, the cafeteria provides a large choice of drinks, such as regular coffees or hot chocolates, up to more fancy drinks such as iced lattes or caramel macchiatos, and even a daily special homemade fruit smoothie. Of course, you have the choice between regular milk and vegetal milk as Homerton College is very cautious on respecting everyone’s preference.
If you are feeling peckish, you are at the right place as well. The cakesmith also provides an everyday-changing selection of homemade cakes. Chocolate, lemon, fruit, or biscoff cakes, brownies, millionaire trays, granola bars or sand roses, you can be sure that you will find what suits you the most.
If you come to the Buttery just to relax or seat comfortably, you can do so on the mezzanine. Indeed, there, you will find armchairs and sofas, alongside more regular seating and tables with power outlets so you have whatever you need to spend a good (busy or relaxing time) at the Buttery. It is open all day, every day, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The Griffin Bar
The Griffin is Homerton College’s private bar which is open Monday to Sunday from 6pm to 11pm. Located in the heart of the College, the Griffin is close to the Buttery and Michaelmas Catering. Homerton’s Griffin Bar is a good place to go for a drink with friends and classmates. It is a stylish space where you can relax and socialize. It also has an outdoor terrace overlooking the lawns where you can enjoy a view of the College. Homerton’s Griffin Bar is a cross between a cocktail bar and a country pub in both looks and drinks. There is an assortment of different tables ranging from small high tables to large circular wooden tables. Concerning the drinks, the bar has its own “Homerton beer” on tap: a pint of is sold at the discount price of £2.50. The bar also serves soft drinks and high-quality cocktails. Therefore, we highly recommend you try the bar to socialize while having a good time. 😉
Photography Credit: Homerton College – https://www.homerton.cam.ac.uk/homerton-conferences-and-events/dining/griffin-bar
Wherever you decide to spend your free time, Homerton College provides different options to eat, have a drink or relax within the student community and the beautiful surroundings that Homerton College and Cambridge offer. Hopefully, this article gave you a useful insight on some of Homerton College services.
This article was written by Louis BRUNET, Nathan DOUZIECH and Frédéric LOBEY.
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