College Food

Oriel College food is widely considered to be amongst the best (if not the best!) in the University. During term time breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in Oriel’s very impressive 400 year-old Hall.

Breakfast & Lunch

Breakfast consists of a cooked breakfast, toast, cereal, tea, coffee, milk and fruit juice, and is served between 8.15–8.45am, Monday to Saturday. Lunch is served between 12.45am–1.30pm, Monday to Saturday. At lunch there is a choice from two cooked options, one vegetarian option and sandwiches, all of which can be complimented with salad from the salad bar and a choice of dessert.

Dinner

There are two sittings in Hall for the evening meals. The first of these sittings is known as ‘Informal Hall’ which is a two course meal served every day during term time at 6.30pm (6.45pm on Sunday). It’s a fairly casual event, and the dress code is come–as–you–are.

The second sitting is known as ‘Formal Hall’ which is a three course meal served at 7.15pm Monday to Friday (7.30pm on Sunday). As the name implies, Formal Hall is a formal meal, and during this meal the low table (i.e. students) receives the same food as high table (the Fellows of the College). Men must wear a jacket and tie on weekdays and a suit on Sundays, women must dress accordingly. All students must wear gowns to Formal Hall. Wine can be bought at the table or ordered online and charged to Battels. Formal Hall is a more traditional and eccentric affair with a lively and relaxed the atmosphere.

Following Sunday’s formal sitting, a second round of desserts consisting of cakes, cheese and biscuits and fruit is served in the MCR. The MCR bar is also opened on these occasions. As you can imagine, the prospect of free cake makes this a very popular event!

Dinners are booked in advanced using an online booking system (link to online booking system). Dinners must be booked before 11am on weekdays and before 11am on Friday for dinners at the weekend.

Outside of term time, lunch and dinner are served in the College Bar. To attend these meals you must sign up in the Lodge before 11am on the day of the meal.

Meal Charges

Oriel believes that Hall plays an instrumental role in College life. Past benefactions enable the College to subsidise the price of meals to the extent that a student eating breakfast, lunch and dinner in College is charged just over £6 per day! Students do not pay cash: meals are charged for on the next term’s Battels (bills) or at the end of Trinity Term as appropriate. The current meal charges are as follows:-

Cooked Breakfast £1.69
Continental Breakfast £1.22
Lunch £2.16
Informal Hall £3.10
Formal Hall £3.50

(Prices and times correct for Academic Year 2007—8.)

Unlike a growing number of Oxford colleges, Oriel does not impose a fixed Hall charge, that is to say you only pay for the food that you eat!