PRESENTER (British): Welcome
everyone and thank you for coming today. My name is Paul Blacksmith and I’ve
been Director of Hospitality Services at the University of Essex since 2001.
I’d like to give you a brief overview of the dining options on our campus.
First of all, all
students can eat in the self-service cafeteria here on campus. The cafeteria
provides breakfast, lunch and dinner on weekdays and dinner on the weekends.
There are both hot and cold dishes available. Our cafeteria is the most
vegetarian and vegan friendly university cafeteria in the UK. In fact, we offer
three vegan options for every meal served.
Regarding the
contents of the meals we serve, we only use Fair Trade products. We also use
fresh, organically grown produce from Deepwell’s Farm, which is located here in
England. All of our staff are
certified food handlers. We also have our kitchens inspected twice a year to
ensure that we’re keeping a clean environment that is up to health codes.
If cafeteria food
isn’t your thing, there are also shared kitchens on each floor of student housing. Each kitchen is
equipped with two fridges and two microwaves. We installed ovens in each
kitchen as well. Given that there are 16 students per floor, we believe this
provides ample space for each student to cook for him or herself. In addition,
last year we added small allotments near all of the student housing buildings,
so that you can grow your vegetables if you’d like to do that. We started the program a few years ago. It’s called
“Grow Your Own” and so far it’s been a huge success
with the students.
Otherwise, we also
have a few coffee shops on campus, which provide snacks, coffees and drinks.
The coffee is Fair Trade and the pastries include croissants, cookies and
muffins. There are a few bars on campus that serve alcohol and sandwiches as
well. The bars stay open until 02:00 each night, but food is not served there
after 19:00.
As far as payment
is concerned, you have a few different options that I’d like to discuss right
now. The first option is not to buy a meal plan. That way, you pay cash each
time you eat, or you can use your university card at the tills and you’ll be
billed at the end of each term. Most students prefer this method because it
allows you the freedom to eat when and where you want and just pay for it all
in one easy payment.
The second option
is to purchase the dinner plan. This plan is for a dinner each day of the term.
The cost is £623 per term, which comes out to about £10 per meal and it’s for
60 meals. This meal plan can be used in the cafeteria or at the bar. For each
meal you buy, you have your card swiped at the till.
The third option is
called “Meal Freedom.” Now, with this option, you get 40 meals per term. The
cost is £480. These meals can be used anywhere on campus. So, if you’d like to
use a meal at the coffee shop, then you can do that. This plan is perfect for
students who want to eat some meals from campus vendors, and some meals off
campus or in student housing.
You
have to sign up for these meal plans online. Once you have purchased the meal plan, your
university card account will be updated and your meals added to your account. I
should point out that students must use a credit card to pay for their meal
plans. If
you have any questions,
feel free to ask me or send an email to our office. Thank you for your
attention.