Eat for less on campus!

Affordable food and drink on campus

Great Food at Leeds (GFaL) is delighted to be offering a range of quality food and drink options for the University community at affordable prices.

Building on the existing low cost food options already available in our outlets, we are adding even more affordable meals to ensure there’s a diverse range of inexpensive choices for you. All of the meal options below are available for £3 or less* from either the Refectory or across GFaL operated cafes on campus.

What’s new?

Start your day right with an Early Bird Breakfast Special. Available weekdays from the Refectory, 8am – 9am, and Café Seven, 8:30am – 9:30am.

  • Breakfast sandwich £1.25 – Choose from bacon, sausage, vegetarian sausage or egg
  • Breakfast sandwich and a regular hot drink £2.50 – Choose your favourite breakfast sandwich and a hot drink from the self-service hot drinks station

Our Daily Lunch Specials for £2.95 in the Refectory are available on weekdays from 12 – 2pm. These will include a meat-based and vegan meal option on a daily changing menu rotation.

Nothing says ‘comfort’ like a bowl of homemade stew! Our Homemade Stew of the Day for £2.95 is coming soon to our cafés on campus! Served with a wedge of bread for dunking, this is a winter warmer you won’t want to miss.

Customer favourites

In addition to our new specials, we already offer affordable menu favourites in the Refectory and across our cafés. Get the Chicken Value Box for £2.50, with either a southern fried chicken fillet strip or plant-based chicken fillet and rice or skinny fries.

If you prefer pizza, we’ve got you covered! Grab a pizza slice for £2.10 or a slice and regular soft drink for £2.95.

Our Homemade Soup of the Day for £2.65 is served with artisan bread for dipping and is available from the Refectory and now also our cafés on campus. Our favourite is butternut squash and sweet potato, but you’ll soon discover yours!

Go one further, tackle food waste and save money!

We are proud to be part of the Too Good To Go community.

Download the Too Good To Go app and get connected to our food outlets on campus that have unsold food surplus.

You can find the Refectory and many of our cafes on the Too Good To Go app, place an order and rescue a Magic Bag before closing time. Food offerings range from sandwiches to hot daily specials. You don’t know what you are going to get, but the bag of food costs 50% (or more!) less than the retail price.

*The price of Too Good To Go Magic Bag varies depending on contents.

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It’s Christmas giveaway time!

This giveaway has now closed. 

Our Christmas Crackers 2022 giveaway is here! To celebrate the launch of our Christmas Crackers hot drinks and food range, we’re giving you and a friend the chance to win a University of Leeds KeepCup and £25 credit to spend on delicious food and drink in any of our Great Food at Leeds locations on campus.

To enter you need to follow the instructions on the giveaway post found on the Great Food at Leeds Instagram.

Terms and conditions:

  1. Great Food at Leeds will use any personal data submitted only for the purposes of facilitating the prize draw
  2. All entries must be received by Wednesday 23 November 2022 at 11:59pm
  3. All correctly completed entries will be entered into a prize draw which will take place on Thursday 24 November 2022. The winner will be drawn at random
  4. One entry per person allowed, on completion of liking the post, commenting on the post and following the Great Food at Leeds Instagram account. You may have an additional entry by sharing the post to your Instagram Story
  5. No entrant may win more than one prize
  6. Giveaway is open to all University of Leeds staff and students
  7. The prize is a University of Leeds KeepCup and £25 Great Food at Leeds credit for you and a friend. Great Food at Leeds credit redeemable against food and drink in any of the Great Food at Leeds operated locations on campus. The winners must provide their University email address and download the GFaL Club app to obtain the credit. Credit will be valid for 6 months. No cash alternative is possible
  8. Prizes are not transferable or exchangeable. No cash alternative is possible
  9. The winner will be notified via the Great Food at Leeds Instagram stories from Thursday 24 November 2022. Great Food at Leeds will make a reasonable attempt to contact the winner, but reserve the right to draw a substitute winner if this is not possible
  10. By entering the prize draw, you agree to participate in any reasonable promotional activity, including photographs and audio and/or visual recordings, if you are selected as a winner
  11. Please note that Instagram are not responsible for any element of this promotion and has in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered this promotion

Good luck!

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Celebrating 2,000 Instagram Followers!

This giveaway has now closed.

To celebrate 2,000 followers on Instagram, we have launched a 2K Instagram giveaway! We’re giving you the chance to win £50 credit to spend on delicious food and drink in any of our Great Food at Leeds locations on campus.

To enter you need to follow the instructions on the giveaway post found on the Great Food at Leeds Instagram.

Terms and conditions:

  1. Great Food at Leeds will use any personal data submitted only for the purposes of facilitating the prize draw
  2. All entries must be received by Thursday 20 October 2022 at 11:59pm
  3. All correctly completed entries will be entered into a prize draw which will take place on Friday 21 October 2022. The winner will be drawn at random
  4. One entry per person allowed, on completion of liking the post, commenting on the post and following the Great Food at Leeds Instagram account. You may have an additional entry by sharing the post to your Instagram Story
  5. No entrant may win more than one prize
  6. Giveaway is open to all University of Leeds staff and students
  7. The prize is £50 Great Food at Leeds credit. Great Food at Leeds credit redeemable against food and drink in any of the Great Food at Leeds operated locations on campus, this excludes Caffé Nero sites on campus. The winner must provide their University email address and download the GFaL Club app to obtain the credit. Credit will be valid for 6 months. No cash alternative is possible
  8. Prizes are not transferable or exchangeable. No cash alternative is possible
  9. The winner will be notified via the Great Food at Leeds Instagram stories from Friday 21 October 2022. Great Food at Leeds will make a reasonable attempt to contact the winner, but reserve the right to draw a substitute winner if this is not possible
  10. By entering the prize draw, you agree to participate in any reasonable promotional activity, including photographs and audio and/or visual recordings, if you are selected as a winner
  11. Please note that Instagram are not responsible for any element of this promotion and has in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered this promotion

Good luck!

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What’s the big (Meal) Deal?!

Food to go = refreshed!

Looking for tasty food on the move at great value? Look no further! Our refreshed food to go Meal Deal is here!

We know what you are thinking – but don’t worry! ‘Refreshed’ isn’t code for ‘more expensive’. We have held the price of our standard Meal Deal option, offering customers a main item, snack and drink for £3.95.

So, what’s new?

A regular hot drink of your choice is now available in the deal. Head to the counter to order your barista made brew or grab this from a hot drink station. This means better value and more choice!

Feeling fancy? You now also have the option to upgrade to a premium main item for £1 extra! This could be a toastie, panini or salad box.

These changes mean you could enjoy a sandwich, snack and barista made flat white for £3.95 or a panini, snack and hot chocolate for £4.95!

Where can I get the Meal Deal?

Pick up your Meal Deal from any of the Great Food at Leeds operated outlets on campus, including the Refectory. This deal is not available from Caffé Nero locations on campus.

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We are a Fairtrade University!

Celebrating two star Fairtrade status!

We are delighted that the University of Leeds has again achieved a Fairtrade University award, after being audited for the academic years 2020/21 and 2021/22.

The University has maintained its Fairtrade University status since 2005. This helped Yorkshire to be named the first Fairtrade region in the country.

At Great Food at Leeds, we are passionate about Fairtrade and have been responsibly sourcing and selling Fairtrade food and drink products in our outlets since 2003!

What is the award and why is it important?

This prestigious award is delivered as a partnership between the Fairtrade Foundation, the National Union of Students, and Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK). The Fairtrade University and College Award requires students to engage in partnerships with their institution and students’ union to achieve the award.

University of Leeds have been awarded Fairtrade University two star status. The award recognises a broad range of activities undertaken in the University which work towards a more just, equal and sustainable world for all.

This includes working to raise awareness with students of the issues related to ethical and sustainable consumption and increasing the availability of Fairtrade products in outlets on campus.

Students were recruited as volunteer auditors to determine if Fairtrade status could be awarded. The students were given training, equipping them with transferrable skills and experience in conducting an audit.

The award is a testament to the collaborative efforts of staff and students from a plethora of services and schools across the University. They have worked together to meet the award criteria, in areas including procurement, awareness raising and campaigning activities.

What is Fairtrade and how can you get involved?

Fairtrade aims to tackle the injustices of conventional trade and ensure that their farmers have decent working conditions and prices for the crops they grow.

To find out more about Fairtrade, what Great Food at Leeds did to support Fairtrade Fortnight earlier this year and how you can get involved, check out our round up post from Fairtrade Fortnight 2022.

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Our Taste of Summer giveaway has landed!

Taste of Summer Giveaway

To celebrate the launch our summer drinks range, we’re giving you the chance to win £50 credit to spend on delicious food and drink in any of our Great Food at Leeds locations on campus, with our Taste of Summer giveaway!

To enter you need to follow the instructions on the giveaway post found on the Great Food at Leeds Instagram.

Terms and conditions:

  1. Great Food at Leeds will use any personal data submitted only for the purposes of facilitating the prize draw
  2. All entries must be received by Tuesday 7 June 2022 at 11:59pm
  3. All correctly completed entries will be entered into a prize draw which will take place on Wednesday 8 June 2022. The winner will be drawn at random
  4. One entry per person allowed, on completion of liking the post, commenting on the post and following the Great Food at Leeds Instagram account. You may have an additional entry by sharing the post to your Instagram Story
  5. No entrant may win more than one prize
  6. Giveaway is open to all University of Leeds staff and students
  7. The prize is £50 Great Food at Leeds credit. Great Food at Leeds credit redeemable against food and drink in any of the Great Food at Leeds operated locations on campus. The winner must provide their University email address and download the GFaL Club app to obtain the credit. Credit will be valid for 6 months. No cash alternative is possible
  8. Prizes are not transferable or exchangeable. No cash alternative is possible
  9. The winner will be notified via the Great Food at Leeds Instagram stories from Wednesday 8 June 2022. Great Food at Leeds will make a reasonable attempt to contact the winner, but reserve the right to draw a substitute winner if this is not possible
  10. By entering the prize draw, you agree to participate in any reasonable promotional activity, including photographs and audio and/or visual recordings, if you are selected as a winner
  11. Please note that Instagram are not responsible for any element of this promotion and has in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered this promotion

Good luck!

 

This competition has now finished. 

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Enter our Brown & Blond brownie giveaway!

Brown & Blond Instagram Giveaway – April 2022

Not had enough chocolate over the Easter break? This is your chance to win £50 worth of delicious brownies from Brown & Blond.

To enter you need to follow the instructions on the giveaway post found on the Great Food at Leeds Instagram.

Terms and conditions:

  1. Great Food at Leeds will use any personal data submitted only for the purposes of facilitating the prize draw
  2. All entries must be received by Wednesday 4 May at 11:59pm
  3. All correctly completed entries will be entered into a prize draw which will take place on Thursday 5 May 2022. The winner will be drawn at random
  4. Only one entry per person
  5. No entrant may win more than one prize
  6. Giveaway is open to all University of Leeds staff and students
  7. The prize is £50 worth of brownies from Blond & Brown. This will be a random selection of flavours.
  8. Prizes are not transferable or exchangeable. No cash alternative is possible
  9. The winners will be notified via the Great Food at Leeds Instagram stories from Thursday 5 May 2022. Great Food at Leeds will make a reasonable attempt to contact the winner, but reserve the right to draw a substitute winner if this is not possible
  10. By entering the prize draw, you agree to participate in any reasonable promotional activity, including photographs and audio and/or visual recordings, if you are selected as a winner.
  11. Please note that Instagram are not responsible for any element of this promotion and has in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered this promotion

Good luck!

 

This competition has now finished. 

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Climate Week 2022: Fighting Food Waste

Focus on fighting food waste

Great Food at Leeds is proud to be part of the war on food waste. As part of Leeds University Union (LUU) Climate Week 2022, we want to put fighting food waste in the spotlight, sharing what we are doing to support this movement and ways you can get involved.

What is Climate Week?

Climate Week 2022 is taking place from Monday 21 – Friday 25 March. It’s the second year of this exciting campaign after its launch in 2021, and there are lots of opportunities for University staff and students to engage with sustainability at LUU. The three themes for this year’s event: climate justice, climate education and eco-anxiety.

At Great Food at Leeds, we are excited to be supporting the event as sustainability is a key value of our service. Managing food waste plays a huge part in running our service sustainably and combatting climate change.

Why is food waste a problem?

Food waste is a global problem, it occurs all around us – in the home, in supermarkets, restaurants, pubs and cafés. A whopping 3.6 million tonnes of food is wasted by the food industry every year in the UK!

Most wasted food in the UK ends up in landfill, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and impacts climate change. The worst part is that a huge 2 million tonnes of the food that goes to waste is still edible!

How is Great Food at Leeds tackling food waste?

We are proud to be part of the Too Good To Go food waste movement – a mobile application that connects customers to food outlets that have unsold food surplus.

You can find the Refectory and many of our cafes on the Too Good To Go app, place an order and collect a Magic Bag before closing time. Food offerings range from sandwiches to hot daily specials. We have saved almost 600 meals already in 2022!

Next time you fancy some food on campus, why not download the app and rescue a Magic Bag of surplus, unsold food and save food waste!

How can you help fight food waste?

Planning meals and not buying too much food is a good place to start, but when you do buy too much there are creative ways to use this up!

Our Senior Head Chef, Lisa, has provided some top tips for using up fresh ingredients from the back of the fridge and giving food leftovers a new lease of life!

  • Leftover Bolognese sauce: Why not try making this into a chilli? Add some fresh chilli, ground cumin and paprika, serve with rice and top with soured cream or natural yogurt. Alternatively, make this into a lasagne inspired dish by layering the sauce with sheets of pasta or cooked pasta shapes and top with cheese before baking.
  • Vegetables: If you find yourself with lots of vegetables that need using up, try making a vegetable soup. Roughly chop up whatever is available to you, root vegetables, greens or anything in between and cook in stock. Have it chunky or blend to smooth perfection, adding a potato will help make it creamy. You can also add some dried lentils to pack this with protein, too!
  • Fruit: Its grocery shopping day, the cupboards are bare, but you still need a nutritious breakfast… it’s time to whip up a smoothie! Add the last, over ripened banana to a blender with some berries (fresh or frozen). Pour in milk of your choice or fruit juice and add some porridge oats. Whizz it up and enjoy!

Do you have a food waste regular offender, lurking in the fridge at the end of each week? Need some inspiration on how to make the most of it?

Get in touch via our social media channels or drop us a line to gfal@leeds.ac.uk and Chef Lisa will be happy to provide some ideas on how to save this from becoming food waste!

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Fairtrade Fortnight 2022

Spotlight on Fairtrade

We have been shining the spotlight on Fairtrade products, ingredients and suppliers as part of Fairtrade Fortnight, which took place from Monday 28 February – Sunday 6 March 2022.

At Great Food at Leeds we are passionate about Fairtrade and have been responsibly sourcing and selling Fairtrade food and drink products in our outlets since 2003!

What is Fairtrade?

Fairtrade aims to tackle the injustices of conventional trade and ensure that their farmers have decent working conditions and prices for the crops they grow.

We understand that choosing Fairtrade and ethically sourced products is one way we stand with those vulnerable communities at the front line of the climate crisis.

What is Fairtrade Fortnight?

Thousands of individuals, companies and groups across the UK come together for Fairtrade Fortnight each year, to share the stories of people who grow our food and drinks, mine our gold and who grow the cotton in our clothes. These people are often exploited and underpaid.

Great Food at Leeds and Fairtrade Fortnight 2022

We have been busy showing our support for the farmers behind our Fairtrade food and drink! Here is how we got involved:

  • Raffle to win a Fairtrade chocolate hamper, with all proceeds going to the Fairtrade Foundation
  • Brought Fairtrade products together for our customers at till points in our outlets
  • Offered a free Fairtrade banana to customers purchasing a main meal in the Refectory•
  • Served up delicious chocolate chip banana bread, made with Fairtrade bananas, chocolate and sugar

How can you get involved?

As a customer, you can be part of the Fairtrade movement. You have the power to drive long-term change, through your shopping choices and spreading the Fairtrade message – this applies all year round, not just during Fairtrade Fortnight!

You can get involved in local campaigns, Fairtrade Yorkshire has information on this. Support Fairtrade shops and cafés in the local area, see Fairtrade Leeds for details, or cook some recipes using Fairtrade products. If you missed our delicious chocolate chip banana bread in the Refectory, why not have a go at making it yourself?

Follow our recipe below and share your bake with us on social media!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Ingredients (makes 8 slices)

  • 125g butter
  • 150g Fairtrade caster sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 3 Fairtrade bananas, mashed
  • 100g Fairtrade chocolate chips, white or milk are best
  • 190g self-raising flour

Method

  • Prepare a 2lb loaf tin, grease and line with grease proof paper.
  • Beat the sugar, butter and vanilla extract together until a creamy texture
  • Add the mashed bananas and mix well
  • Add the egg and mix well
  • Stir in the flour and once combined add the chocolate chips
  • Pour into the prepared tin, sprinkle with a tablespoon of demerara sugar to give a crunch topping if desired
  • Bake at 150c fan assisted oven (170c regular or gas mark 3) for 45 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean
  • Leave to cool, slice and enjoy! Serve with custard to make a delicious pudding

#FairtradeFortnight #ChooseTheWorldYouWant

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