Students are too broke or busy having fun to eat well, right? Wrong: some find cash and time for creme brulee and duck eggs. Twenty years after arriving at university with an Ikea saucepan set, a six-pack of Pot Noodle and a jar of pesto, the stereotype of student food has evolved. In 2006, it meant convenience and speed: frozen pizza, potato waffles, mountains of pesto pasta. For one 2000s student, university marked the most formative eating years of her life, with tastes of independence seared into memory.
Student nightlife and the invention of pstub
Student nightlife opened doors to new culinary delights, with bars and clubs offering barbecues in the yard or McCain Micro Chips for a quid. Kebabs tasted of fire and adventure. A fourth meal of the day was invented: pstub, short for post-pub, for sacred meals eaten after midnight. These started as street hotdogs and fridge-raids but evolved into feasts more memorable than the nights themselves, with vast trays of nachos, elaborate toasties, curry and 3am roast chicken.
Wholesome habits also emerged: Sunday walks across Hampstead Heath rewarded by pub roasts, hummus and falafel, and pick-and-mix sushi from new chains. Shopping, cooking and budgeting for the first time led to passions for tinned sardines, fish-finger sandwiches and omelettes with sweet chilli sauce. Sainsbury's Basics 8p chicken noodles became a staple, saving loan money for brunch. Meeting other students expanded horizons, from real butter to yorkshire puddings not made by Aunt Bessie, and bagels from Brick Lane eaten on the N253.
Food as a bridge between cultures
Food was a way to bridge cultural gaps and forge friendships. On one first-year corridor were students from China, Poland, Japan, the Czech Republic and Hull. A nextdoor neighbour from Hong Kong began a tradition of monthly dinners in Chinatown, introducing tripe, chicken feet, soup dumplings and ube tea. The favour was returned with Fray Bentos tinned pies.
Two decades later, what are students eating? According to Alex Harvey, founder of The Student Food Project, which provides online recipes and runs cookery workshops, there is greater awareness around health and wellness, but student eating habits have not dramatically shifted. "If they have, it's only people in a financial position to make that possible," he says. With fees now three times higher and the cost of living about 80% more expensive, today's undergrads are feeling the pinch. "Students have always had to budget, but it's now becoming a constant worry," says Harvey. About 40% of respondents so far in the project's Student Food Survey say they've gone to bed hungry or skipped meals because they couldn't afford food.
Principles and staples remain
Since 2021, the Plant-Based Universities campaign has seen 29 student unions across the UK and Europe vote to make campus catering 100% plant-based. Institutions are equipping students with cooking skills to save money, keep them healthy and form social bonds. "We're increasingly seeing universities doubling down on food as an area of their wellbeing programmes," says Harvey. "As loneliness and isolation form an increasing part of student life, food has that ability to bring people together."
While the beloved 8p noodles now cost 50p and a favourite kebab shop was bulldozed for the Elizabeth Line, some things haven't changed. "A lot of student staples remain incredibly popular," says Harvey. "Pesto pasta is still top of the list."
Student voices: from blowtorch to Aldi pizza
Aaron Godwood, 20, from Cambridge, is in his third year studying computer science and mathematics at the University of Bath. He couldn't really cook before uni, but his older brother gave him lessons. Now he loves cooking, making gyros with chicken or halloumi, a bean and halloumi stew, and lots of pasta. "I might be the only person who has a blowtorch at uni. My favourite dessert is creme brulee, and when I tried making it without a blowtorch, it was just terrible. So when I had a bit of money for my birthday, I thought: I know what I'm spending that on."
Godwood swaps recipes with a housemate and does big group meals. He gets food on a night out maybe twice a week, always from the same kebab shop in Bath: chips with chilli sauce and garlic mayo. He tries to set a weekly food budget of about £40 but doesn't really stick to it. "If I want to cook something nice that costs a bit more, I see it as an activity in itself." He doesn't consciously think about health credentials, but his food is naturally pretty healthy. "But I'm glad I'm not a gym bro who only cares about food as fuel. Sometimes you're out on campus and you'll see someone whose lunch is a plain chicken breast. That can't be nice."
Archie Marks, 20, from Worcester, is in his final year studying English literature at the University of Birmingham. "I love an Aldi pizza. Pesto pasta has always been a mainstay for me, or just pasta with oil and cheese, and I quite like a stir-fry, because it's easy. But that's it for cooking, if I'm honest. It's a lot of toast, a lot of cereal." He budgets about £30-35 per week on groceries, with a takeaway maybe once a week. Post-night out, he goes to Mamma Mia, a local institution. "It's one of those takeaways that sells a bit of everything – it does the best pizza I've ever tasted, and for about a fiver. It's so trashy, but when you've had a few it's an absolute godsend."
Marks says money is on the mind of every student. He spends a lot on concert tickets, so often lives off whatever is in the cupboard to afford them. "Recently I went to see Harry Styles, which was worth a few weeks of beans on toast." He's been vegetarian for five or six years, and his parents instilled the value of good nutrition. "But the idea of Gen Z as clean-eating wellness types could not be further from the truth. It's a lot of faff, and it can get really expensive." Sometimes at pre-drinks they play a game of 'what has everyone eaten today?', and he realises he's had two slices of toast and an apple. "But two things can be true at once. Budget is a big factor for students, but by the same token there is a lot of going out for coffee, going for sushi, splurging on food every once in a while. It's something to get you through, isn't it?"
Hannah Austin, 20, from Wellingborough, is in her third year studying games art at Nottingham Trent University. In her first year, she did a lot of meal prepping, with a dairy-free yoghurt bowl for breakfast, avocado toast with a boiled duck egg for lunch, and veggie gyro bowls with oyster mushrooms for dinner. "I am definitely more adventurous now in terms of what I make, and it's something different every day." She goes through a lot of pesto, basil, rocket, prawns and salad veg, and found a well-priced fishmonger nearby. "I wouldn't describe myself as a foodie, but it depends on who you ask. My friends would tell you that I'm always cooking something a bit extravagant (by student standards)."
Austin is usually good at sticking to her food budget of £40 per week, though most friends spend less. "I have food allergies, which mean I have to buy more expensive alternatives. I definitely need to adjust my budget, though – my most recent food shop had gone up by £7, despite buying all the same things. Price is important to me, but I care about quality more." She doesn't travel or go on nights out, saving money on drinks. "I'd say uni has positively influenced my eating. I get very lazy when I'm at home. But there's not much I've picked up from living with others, except red pesto. It's good, but I still prefer green."
