Food & Menu
At Stonyhurst College we understand the importance of a balanced diet and good nutrition for the health and wellbeing of our pupils. The carefully planned, daily menu ensures there is an option to suit all palates. Hot and cold options, a variety of vegetables, a full salad bar at lunchtime, desserts and a selection of fresh fruit are offered to pupils, staff and visitors, including a vegetarian alternative. The weekly menu is posted beside the refectory. We also cater for pupils and staff with allergies or food intolerances. The provision of healthy and nutritious food extends to packed meals where healthier options replace high fat, high salt and/or high sugar items. A range of hot drinks is available at breakfast and dinner, while Higher Line (sixth form) pupils have access to these throughout the day via the facilities in their common room. Juice and water are available at mealtimes.
The extensive daily menu is not restricted to traditional English food but includes other cuisine, such as Mexican, Indian, Chinese and Italian. In order to reflect our multi-national pupil body, themed days are incorporated into the menus to coincide with national holidays. Perhaps the boarders’ favourite meal of the week is a relaxed, full, buffet-style Brunch that takes place between 11.30am and 1.00pm each Sunday after Mass.
It is important to us that our catering reflects the diverse tastes of the pupils and, to assist with this aim, regular communication takes place between pupils and the catering team. The minutes of the feedback received at these meetings are then circulated to the Playrooms and various departments throughout the College. In keeping with its ethos, the College has achieved official Fair Trade status (one of the few schools in the country to do so), sourcing as much as possible from Fair Trade produce.
For the College’s formal occasions, the catering team provides special menus to suit the theme and style of the event. For those run by pupils, such as the annual, fund-raising Poetry Banquet and Learning to Care charity dinners, the pupils themselves are very much involved in planning the menus, thereby gaining useful experience in budgeting!