Food and Formals

College Food

All members of Trevelyan College who live in college are offered 29 weeks of catered service. In Trevs, this consists of three meals a day, every day. On weekdays, a hot breakfast, lunch, and dinner is served, whereas on weekends, a continental breakfast, brunch, and dinner are served. 

There’s usually at least two meat options and 2 vegan/vegetarian options for lunch and dinner, or fresh sandwiches/wraps – alongside a salad bar, soup, fruit and pudding. The food is great – you won’t starve! 

If you have any dietary requirements, let college know and they’ll work something out – if they know you can’t eat what’s on any particular day, then they’ll make you something special. The best person to contact is Dawn Purdy, the food manager. All of the catering staff are lovely, be nice to them for some great queue chat.

Formals

Formal dinners are special nights in Trevs. Students wear formal clothes and gowns (available for purchase on arrival), or black tie on special occasions, and fill the dining hall for a three course meal. We have a ‘high table’ where our Principal, Senior Tutor and other college staff sit, and long tables for students, with a capacity of up to to 280! Formals typically lasts about an hour and feature a variety of quirky traditions. 

We have regular formals throughout the term (roughly around 3-5 per term), some of which are themed or taking place before a college event, such as Winter Ball, Trevs Night, and Summer Ball). Longer formals take place at the end of each term (Christmas in Michaelmas, Handover in Epiphany, and End of Session in Easter).  

Alcohol may be brought in to the meal, and can be bought from the bar which opens an hour before the formal. You may bring your own drinks, but will have to pay corkage if they’re not from the bar. 

After the formal, the bar opens with the furniture cleared to create a large dance floor, with music from either a band or a DJ. The bar is often busy until it closes and then a big group will go to town to finish the night in style.

A Few Expectations

  • You cannot stand up until formal ends! If you need to leave for any reason, you can’t come back in.
  • No phones
  • No flash photography
  • While high table are sitting, a level of decorum is expected