Food in halls

Find out about your food or catering options while staying in UCL Accommodation including menus, meal cards and special dietary requirement information.

Catering is available at Ifor Evans Hall and Ramsay Hall, offering fresh, varied meals every day of the week.

  • Monday to Friday: Breakfast and Dinner 
  • Saturday to Sunday: Brunch 

Please note: There is no food service before the official move-in weekend, on Bank Holidays, College closure days, Winter break and Spring break.

Residents will need to make their own arrangements for meals outside of the food service times within their hall.

Watch What does life in a UCL catered hall look like? on YouTube.
Food in our halls

Menus

Both our catered accommodation halls - Ifor Evans Hall and Ramsay Hall - provide a variety of dishes, including vegan, vegetarian, fish and meat options. Our catering provider, Gather & Gather, is committed to quality, sustainability, and flavour. 

Students can enjoy a full English breakfast alongside a fruit bar and cold buffet breakfast, all served with Fairtrade Union Coffee from our artisan roasters in East London, a selection of teas and juices.

Enjoy delicious and healthy soups, a wide variety of hot meals, a salad bar and much more. 

Enjoy delicious and healthy soups, a wide variety of hot meals, a salad bar and much more.

All meat served is Red Tractor certified and humanely stunned prior to slaughter.
Halal options are clearly labelled with the halal symbol on each dish. If you have any queries, please advise the Gather & Gather team personally. 

Read Gather & Gather's full policy.

Every dish is labelled with an allergen note. If you have allergies, please advise the Gather & Gather team personally.

See our sample menus

Meal Cards

A meal card will be issued for students in Ifor Evans Hall and Ramsay Hall on arrival. You will be asked to show your meal card to the front-line team member at each meal time.

Guests

You will need to speak to the catering team to purchase meal passes for your guests. Please be aware that you are not allowed to share your meal card with anyone, under any circumstances. 

Sustainability

Our award-winning catering and hospitality provider, Gather & Gather, is committed to ethical and environmentally responsible catering. They hold a three-star Food Made Good accreditation from the Sustainable Restaurant Association and were awarded UCL’s Sustainability Impact Award in 2024 for driving ambitious and innovative progress across their kitchens.  

Carbon labelling  

Graphic of a carbon label for food items. Text reads 'Very low carbon'.

All meals made on site are carbon labelled to support low-impact choices. Gather & Gather also track this data and set termly targets for chefs to reduce the carbon impact of their menus.  

 

Responsible Sourcing 

Logo of Future 50 foods.

Gather & Gather carefully sources ingredients to meet high ethical and environmental standards.  

  • Seasonal ingredients: More than half of all ingredients are seasonal, supporting British producers and biodiversity.  

  • Certified ingredients: All fish served is rated ‘best choice’ or ‘good’ according to the Marine Conservation Society, all our meat is Red-Tractor certified, eggs & milk are free-range, and bananas, tea, coffee, and sugar are Fairtrade certified.  

  • Future 50 ingredients: Ingredients recognised by the WWF for their benefits to human health and biodiversity are featured on our menus and highlighted with the Future 50 logo.  

Waste reduction  

  • Material waste: To minimise the negative impact on the environment, no disposable serve ware or individual condiment sachets are used in the dining halls. Kitchens are clingfilm-free, and all chefs are trained to be mindful of plastic-waste.  

  • Food waste: All food waste, including prep, plate, and counter waste, is measured and monitored to reduce food waste where possible. We encourage residents to take only what they can eat. 

Find out more about Gather & Gather sustainability commitments and our promise 

Packed dinner

If you know you are going to miss your dinner, you can order a packed dinner the day before. Please give the team at least 24 hours notice. Your packed dinner will include: 

  • sandwich or baguette
  • bag of crisps
  • fruit
  • confectionary item
  • a drink or can of water

To order your packed dinner, please follow the steps below:

To ensure availability please order your packed dinner at breakfast the day before you need it. 

Place your order by adding the following details to the order book in the canteen (servery).

  • Date packed dinner required
  • Your full name
  • Your room number
  • Dietary requirements (vegan, allergies etc)

Collect your order on the requested day at breakfast. Remember to bring your meal pass. 

If you have any feedback on your dining experence at Ifor Evans Hall or Ramsay Hall, please email Gather & Gather.