New and improved catering facilities on the menu for students
Release Date 12 October 2011
View photos of the University's new catering facilities
University of Reading students can now enjoy high-class courses both in the lecture theatre and at the dining table thanks to the exciting redevelopment of its catering facilities.
Over the last three years the University has invested £20 million in its catering outlets. Students no longer need to return to a catered hall for lunch but instead can enjoy a wider choice of food options at a consistently high standard at places like Park Eat and Eat at the Square. They can now also refuel after a workout at the gym with a tasty snack in the Eat café at the SportsPark.
Renovations at all major catering facilities mean students and staff can dine in more pleasant and comfortable surroundings then ever before. Crucially, these outlets are served by the newly built Central Kitchen which is home to skilled chefs using brand new, state-of-the-art equipment, to produce tasty food which caters for all diets.
Matthew White, the University's Head of Catering said: "We are committed to providing the very best experience for our students. These fantastic new facilities mean Reading now provides a catering service that is second to none across the UK University sector. Our fully flexible catered package allows our students living in catered accommodation to eat where they want, when they want using smartcard technology contained on their Campus Card.
"We also offer the wider student community the option to load money via the internet onto their Campus Card, giving them a 10% discount at the point of purchase. This is a much safer way for our student customers to pay for their everyday catering needs on campus."
The last three years have also seen the refurbishment of the Park House bar and restaurant area and the introduction of an a la carte restaurant, Blandford's, a high-end eatery for staff and their visitors. Eat and Drink at London Road campus has had a major facelift and is fast becoming a favourite town venue while Eat at the Square provides a fantastic new eatery at the very heart of the Whiteknights campus. New cafeÌs have also been built in the SportsPark and Humanities and Social Sciences building, and at the Enterprise building at Earley Gate.
One of the main developments has been the Park Eat facility which serves the surrounding halls in Park Place.
Matthew White continued: "Park Eat has everything a student could wish for in a dining experience. It has three distinct servery counters, a deli bar serving salads, baguettes and paninis, a traditional servery offering hot meals such as lasagne and curry and a fusion-style chef's theatre counter where stir fries, pasta dishes and flame grilled meats are cooked to order in front of customers.
"By day the relaxed coffee lounge area offers comfy sofas and wi-fi, muffins and treats, speciality coffees and savoury snacks. At night the licensed bar is a wonderful social meeting venue with a full range of alcoholic and soft drinks and bar snacks available."
Find out more about the catering facilities at the University of Reading http://www.fmd.reading.ac.uk/docs/rcsCaterConf/Student_guide_to_Eating_on_campus.pdf