Catering

This is the Corpus Catering page, it has information about the College’s Cafeteria, the Pelican and Leckhampton Bar and Formal Halls. Much of this information can be found in the Student Handbook. If you have any questions, please contact the JCR CAF Officer.

Daily Menus

The Catering Team endeavours to keep students updated on the menu for the week, as it can be found on the main Corpus website under Food at Corpus, this page is also updated outside of term time. Please make reference to this page for allergen information, as well as the food options for the day.

College Bars

Pelican Bar

The bar serves pizzas, pies, sandwiches, baguettes, wraps and plenty of snacks. Alcohol is available in the evenings, with pints costing around £3.50 and cheap bottles of wine costing around £8.50 (ideal for Formal). Everything from the bar can be charged to your University Card to be added onto your College Bill.

The Pelican Bar is open at certain times everyday but is accessible to students 24/7 for study, a chill-out space or a place to play pool.

Opening hours

During Full Term, the Pelican Bar opening hours are:

Leckhampton Bar

The Leckhampton Bar operates throughout the year Tuesdays to Saturdays.  The Bar offers a wide selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and is always open to recommendations from students. 

Hall

Hall serves hot meals for lunch and dinner every day during term, except Saturday when only brunch is available. Full meals are reasonably priced and everything can be charged to your University Card to be added onto your College bill.

A vegetarian option is always provided. In addition, Halal meat and food to meet other dietary requirements (in most cases) is available on request – please contact the Executive Head Chef to arrange this. Currently, chicken and fish dishes are Halal. Do ask the chef and he will find out!

Opening hours

During Full Term, Hall is normally open at the following times:

Up to date opening times can always be found on the website, and in the Weekly Catering Updates email.

Outside of Full Term and occasionally during term time, there may be some changes to the regular Hall service, but you’ll be given plenty of notice of this via an email from Catering or Tutorial. If it is necessary to cancel Hall during Full Term, an alternative service will be provided in the Pelican Bar. If Hall is cancelled on a weekday outside of Full Term, undergraduates are invited to eat at Leckhampton. You’ll need to sign out a Leckhampton key from the Porters’ Lodge so that you can get in though!

Formal Hall

Corpus offers Formal Hall two times a week, on Friday and Sunday during Full Term. You can purchase tickets online using the UPay online event booking system. Login to Upay here. Tickets are bookable until they have sold out, or until Thursday at midday. Following this time, dietary requirements cannot be updated and tickets cannot be cancelled or changed.

Tickets are around £14 for yourself and £20 for your guests. UPay tickets are available by meal type (vegetarian, meat, nut-free, etc) and the correct meal type must be purchased for a student and their guests. For dietary requests not available in the standard ticket selection, or for more specific dietary requests, the ‘special requirements’ free text box should be used. 

You can bring up to three guests, but should remember that you are solely responsible for their behaviour. Permission for more than three guests must be obtained in advance from the Dean of College and will only be granted in exceptional circumstances. If you have difficulties in booking formals, allergy issues etc. again please email the Catering Office who will promptly work to assist you.

The full Code of Conduct for Formal Hall can be found here, and are summarised below as follows:

• You must be seated by 7.30pm, this means you should arrive early to allow time for yourself and any guests to be checked in and seated. Latecomers are not allowed entry following First Grace.

• Corpus students must be present at check-in for their guests to be allowed entry. Unaccompanied guests using a Corpus CamCard will result in the card’s owner being reported to the Dean of College.

• You must wear a jacket and tie (or equivalent). Gowns must be worn by members of the University for the duration of the dinner. Special exceptions may be granted in advance by the Dean of the College in instances of hot weather.

• The use of mobile phones is not permitted, and phone calls are not to be made or received until after the Second Grace. Additionally, Photography and filming are not permitted while the Fellows are present.

• You may bring in either one 75 cl bottle of wine, or bottles (not cans) of beer, lager or cider up to a total of two pints per student; no other alcoholic beverages are permitted.

• Allergen and dietary cards must be displayed throughout the dinner once provided to guests who have indicated that they have a dietary requirement.

• It is considered bad manners to leave the table for any reason until the formal is over. You will not be physically barred from leaving the hall to go the toilet, or from coming back in, but please try to avoid it. Leaving as a group is even more disruptive.

• Drinking games, such as ‘pennying’, are strictly prohibited. Any drinking games will be reported to the Dean of College. 

• Students and their guests who behave inappropriately during Formal Hall may be asked to leave by the Senior Fellow, the Senior Catering Representative on duty, or the Duty Porter. 

Regarding allergens, students and guests who indicate a dietary requirement will be provided with dietary cards which will be on display throughout the dinner to ensure they are served the correct meal.

During instances of high-demand tickets, such as the Halloween Formal or Bridgemas Formal, we would recommend booking the standard meal type quickly and then correcting it after booking confirmation has been received.

Dress Code

The College Rules require students to wear a gown and dress smartly for Formal Hall, with a jacket and tie or equivalent being suggested. The dress code exists so that Formal Hall may retain a sense of formality and dignity for a special occasion, and the gown expresses common membership of a famous and historic institution.

Where traditional dress can comfortably and sensibly be worn together with a gown, the wearer does not need to seek permission to wear their traditional dress. Dispensing with the gown or formal wear requires permission from the Dean, though there are instances (such as the Halloween Formal) where the JCR seeks special permission to dispense of the formal wear for fancy dress.

While the rules state that “a jacket and tie (or equivalent)” is appropriate, this is not entirely helpful:

A “jacket and tie“ may be:

• Jacket, tie (or bow tie), shirt and trousers (jeans are hard to get away with, but you could if you wanted)

• A suit (black tie not required!)

“Equivalent” may reference several things:

• A dress ranging in length from just above the knee to about two inches above the ankle.

• A formal skirt or trousers, if they may be considered formal or “smart“

• Trouser suits and other non-dress formal wear are also acceptable.

Importantly “jacket and tie” and “equivalent” are options for everyone, no matter your gender; ties or dresses can look fabulous on anyone.

Food Policies

Cafeteria Dining

Corpus Christi College is committed to reducing the risk to staff, students and visitors with regard to the consumption of allergens in food which could lead to an allergic reaction.  Though the College cannot guarantee a completely allergen free environment, it makes use o procedures to minimise the risk of exposure and planning for effective responses in cases of emergency, while also encouraging self-responsibility.

Links to the relevant information may be found below:

• Allergen Labelling Policy 

• Formal Hall Menu (for allergen information)

The objectives of the Allergen Policy are: 

• To promote awareness of the nature of food allergens and bring these to the attention of College members and staff. 

• To provide clear guidance to all catering staff (kitchen and pantry) on their responsibilities for the provision of food to members of the College community and visitors with a confirmed food allergy. 

• To ensure that appropriate education/training is available and undertaken for all catering staff involved in providing food to customers with food allergies. 

Formal Hall

The most common allergen requirements and meal selections are available on the meal selection screen at Formal Halls. However, if you have any additional dietary requirements, you should add them in the ‘special requirements’ free text box. If you or your guests have complex dietary needs that you would like to discuss, please email catering@corpus.cam.ac.uk so we can best accommodate you.  

Student Dinners

Students can book rooms (the Hall or Bacon/Parker Rooms) for events such as a party, meeting, function, dinner and/or any other social gathering, with reference to the rules laid out by the College. Further information can be found in the Student Handbook.

The Corpus Event Booking System (CEBS) should be used by students, Fellows and staff of Corpus Christi College, where the proposed event involves an external speaker, requires catering, and/or will take place in a Bookable College Venue (see below for a list). 

The Corpus Informal Gatherings Register (CIGaR) should be used by students for events involving more than 12 people in any Student Room, or more than 30 people in the JCR/MCR TV Room. 

If you would like to book Hall or the Bacon/Parker Rooms for a student or society dinner, please email Conferencing to discuss options or use either the Corpus Event Booking System (CEBS) or Corpus Informal Gatherings Register (CIGaR).

To hold any event, students must adhere to the rules laid out in the College Rules, as permission must be sought either 7 days or 14 days (when catering is required) if the event (a) involves an external speaker;  (b) requires catering; and/or c) will take place in a Bookable College Venue (see list below).

List of Bookable College Rooms and Garden Venues that must be booked using CEBS: Dining Hall (Old House); Fellows’ Garden (Old House); Harley Mason Room (Old House); Kho Roof Terrace (Leckhampton); Law Room (Old House); Leckhampton Bar (Leckhampton); Leckhampton Dining Hall (Leckhampton); Leckhampton Music Room (Leckhampton); McCrum Lecture Theatre (Old House); Meeting Room I4 (Old House); NCR (Old House); New Court (Old House); OCR (Old House); Old Court (Old House); Parker Room (Old House); Pelican Bar (Old House); and Warden’s Meeting Room (Leckhampton).

Kitchens

If you want to cook for yourself, all staircases have kitchens. The most basic are no more than a microwave, sink and fridge, whilst others have ovens, hobs and freezers. If you have any problems with the facilities in your kitchen, please email the Accommodation Manager.

You are not permitted to cook in your room and with the exception of a kettle, you are not allowed any of your own cooking appliances. If you do bring your own appliances, these are likely to be removed without warning and disposed of within a week. Tutorial will inform you of any removals. Similarly, you are not permitted to install a personal fridge in your room. If you require a fridge for medical reasons, please email the Tutorial Office.

Microwave Recipes

Some recipes for light meals and snacks that you can prepare using just a microwave can be found below.

1. Bean and Potato Balti

2. Penne Arrabbiata

3. Vegetable Pizza

4. Thai Green Noodles

Guest Surcharge

Guests ordering food at the hall and paying by credit/debit card are subject to a 60% surcharge on the price of their meal. This applies to a Corpus student who has forgotten their University Card.

Catering queries

If you have any questions about Catering in general, or would like to offer feedback on the Catering service, please contact the JCR CAF Officer or email Catering. Alternatively, the Catering Office is located in U staircase (room U3) and is open 10am-5pm, Monday-Friday. The Catering Office is closed for lunch 12-1pm.

Last updated: Nov 2024