Food and drink at Colchester Campus
You'll never run out of choice for food and drink on campus - we have something for everyone.
£2 Daily Hot Meal
To make sure all our staff and students have access to affordable hot food options, seven of our Essex Food outlets provide a hot meal each day for only £2.
The dish of the day will be advertised in-outlet. A sample menu can also be found below and on each of the participating outlet webpages.
*Menus are subject to change but we will always make sure there is something for everyone. If you have any questions about our menus please ask a member of staff in our participating outlets.
New sample menus for the Spring term 2023
Monday
| Venue | Meal |
| Bonds | Cheddar cheese toastie |
| Buffalo Joe's | Vegan dipper wrap with spicy salsa |
| Canteen | 5 item Breakfast - egg, hash brown, baked beans, toast and sausage (veggie available) |
| Cantina | Jerk chicken, Mexican rice and bean burrito |
| Fusion Grill | BBQ pork burger |
| FUNc. | Bacon waffle sandwich |
| Roost | Macaroni cheese and garlic bread |
| Stem and Root | Jacket potato with three bean chilli |
| Zest Fresh | 6” sub with cheese and tomato |
Tuesday
| Venue | Meal |
| Bonds | Jacket potato with three bean chilli |
| Buffalo Joe's | Hamburger with ketchup, pickles and onions |
| Canteen | 5 item Breakfast - egg, hash brown, baked beans, toast and sausage (veggie available) |
| Cantina | Black bean and vegetable burrito |
| FUNc. | Cheese and onion waffle sandwich |
| Fusion Grill | Bacon and cheese loaded fries |
| Roost | Chicken breast burger with lemon and herb mayo and lettuce |
| Stem and Root | Jacket potato with fennel and carrot slaw and dill yoghurt |
| Zest Fresh | 6” sub with turkey mayo |
Wednesday
| Venue | Meal |
| Bonds | Ham and cheese toastie |
| Buffalo Joe's | Crispy sweet-chilli chicken wrap |
| Canteen | 5 item Breakfast - egg, hash brown, baked beans, toast and sausage (veggie available) |
| Cantina | Vegetable and Peri-Peri pulled chicken burrito |
| FUNc. | Bacon and cheese waffle sandwich |
| Fusion Grill | Roasted vegetable chimichurri loaded fries |
| Roost | Pesto pasta and vegan parmesan |
| Stem and Root | Jacket potato with lentil dal |
| Zest fresh | 6” sub with falafel and mint yoghurt |
Thursday
| Venue | Meal |
| Bonds | Tuna mayo toastie |
| Buffalo Joe's | BBQ pork burger |
| Canteen | 5 item Breakfast - egg, hash brown, baked beans, toast and sausage (veggie available) |
| Cantina | Fajita vegetable and Mexican bean burrito |
| FUNc. | Bacon sausage and egg waffle sandwich |
| Fusion Grill | Cheeseburger with lettuce and mayo |
| Roost | Crispy chicken wrap with Peri-Peri mayo |
| Stem and Root | Jacket potato with chickpea curry |
| Zest fresh | Spinach, tomato, mixed peppers with honey and wholegrain mustard dressing salad |
Friday
| Venue | Meal |
| Bonds | Jacket potato with chickpea curry |
| Buffalo Joe's | Mozzarella dipper wrap with sweet chilli sauce |
| Canteen | 5 item Breakfast - egg, hash brown, baked beans, toast and sausage (veggie available) |
| Cantina | Mexican rice, vegetables and tomato salsa burrito |
| FUNc. | Roasted veg waffle sandwich |
| Fusion Grill | Crispy chicken burger with lettuce and mayo |
| Roost | Roast chicken thigh Caesar salad |
| Stem and Root | Jacket potato with cottage cheese and chives |
| Zest fresh | 6” sub with tuna mayo |
Saturday
| Venue | Meal |
| Buffalo Joe's | Beetroot falafel bites with salad |
Sunday
| Venue | Meal |
| Buffalo Joe's | Vegan dipper wrap with spicy tomato salsa |
Termly opening hours 2023
- Bonds 8am - 4pm, Monday to Friday
- Buffalo Joe's 12pm - 10pm, Monday to Sunday (last food order 9.45pm)
- Canteen breakfast 7.30am - 11.00am, Monday to Friday
- Cantina 11am - 6pm, Monday to Friday
- Crumbs 7.30am - 6.00pm, Monday to Friday and 9am - 4pm, Saturday and Sunday
- Deliveroo 5pm - 10pm, Thursday and Friday and 12pm - 10pm, Saturday and Sunday (Delivery to campus accommodation or collection from Roost on Square 4)
- FUNc 10am - 9pm, Monday to Friday
- Fusion Grill 11am - 8pm, Monday to Friday
- Lakeside Theatre Café 8am - 3pm, Monday to Friday
- Roost at Canteen 12pm - 6pm, Monday to Friday
- Sports Pavilion 10am - 2pm, Sunday only
- Stem and Root 8.30am - 4.00pm, Monday to Friday
- Street Food Huts 11am - 3pm, Monday to Friday
- Street Food Pizza Hut 11.00am - 7.30pm, Monday to Friday
- Street Food Tuk-Tuk 8am - 3pm, Monday to Friday (Breakfast rolls and pastries served until 11am)
- Zest fresh 10am - 5pm, Monday to Friday
May Bank Holiday weekend opening hours
Opening hours over the Bank Holiday weekend Saturday 27, Sunday 28 and Monday 29 May 2023 are yet to be confirmed.
Please be sure to check opening hours before visiting outlets or speak to an Essex Food team member in our outlets.
Earn while you eat!
With the Essex Food Upay app you can earn rewards while you eat and drink. Scan the Upay app every time you buy a hot drink or selected meal deal from our Essex Food outlets - buy 5 and the 6th is FREE! (Full terms and conditions apply)
Plus, bring your reusable cup and SAVE 25p on any hot drink in our outlets.
You won’t go hungry at Essex
Find information about all the Essex Food
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Cashless payments only
Essex Food do not accept cash payments in outlets. Please pay by card or contactless payment method. Alternatively, download the Essex Food Rewards app to pay and collect rewards. Choose loyalty and cashless payment when you set up your account.
Ethics Food
Ethics Food, we care…
...about your health and wellbeing
“Essex Food are committed to supporting your health and wellbeing. We will ensure that all our menus include healthy choices and specialist dietary requirements. We will prioritise the use of fresh, seasonal and nutritional produce, which will be prepared daily by our team of chefs.”
… about your education
“Essex Food are committed to providing you with the knowledge to make informed choices. We will provide important dietary details on all menus and packaging labels, giving you essential nutritional and food provenance information.”
…about your planet
“Essex Food are committed to helping protect the planet to ensure a sustainable future. We are working to eradicate the use of plastic, the reduction of food waste and food miles, with the use of local suppliers and efficient use of resources. “
…about your opinion
“Essex Food are committed to understanding their customers. We value feedback and will seek to engage with you through regular focus groups, customer surveys, and individual interactions. Our staff are always available to receive your opinion and discuss your ideas."
Hospitality Assured accreditation
We were proud to have been awarded with the prestigious Hospitality Assured accreditation in 2011, which is the quality standard created by the Institute of Hospitality specifically for customer facing businesses.
Our policies
We regularly assess our policies to ensure the highest food and service standards to University of Essex customers.
- Sustainable Food policy .(pdf) - Essex Food recognises its responsibility to provide a choice of food options, including healthy, sustainable and fairly-traded food.
- Allergen policy - Essex Food is committed to reducing the risk to staff, students and visitors with regard to the provision of food and the consumption of allergens in food. The policy includes the UK Food Information Amendment, known as Natasha's Law, which came into effect on the 1 October 2021.
Service providers
The University’s
Keep It On Campus
Keep It On Campus is an initiative designed to encourage students and staff to use the services available on campus. Whenever you see the Keep It On Campus stamp, you are about to buy a product or use a service which is owned by the University. This means every time you use a product or service which has the KIOC stamp, all profits generated are used to support and reinvest in the University.
