New College has not only a great dining hall, but also a wonderful kitchen that caters to any dietary restriction.
Eating in College
Food is available to graduates during term time; all meals are charged to your till account and paid for using your Bod-card.
Breakfast: Breakfast is available from 8 am to 9 am. A choice of an English cooked breakfast, continental breakfast, cereal etc. is available and charged per item.
Brunch: Brunch is available from 11 am to 1 pm on Saturdays and from 10 am to 1 pm on Sundays. A choice of an English cooked breakfast, continental breakfast, cereal etc. is available and charged per item.
Lunch: Lunch is available 12 am to 1.30 pm on weekdays. Lunch can be charged per item individually.
Dinner and Formals
Dinner comes in two sittings, early and late, usually referred to as informal hall and formal hall respectively. Evening meals are inclusive of soup, salads, a main course, potatoes/pasta, vegetables, and dessert. Students MUST book their meals before 10 am on the day they want to go to dinner in the Hall. This is done on-line on the meal booking site, where you also have to specify the sitting you wish to attend.
Informal hall is available every day, canteen style, and food can be bought between 5:45 pm to 7:00 pm (6:30 pm on Fridays).
Formal hall is held every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday during term time, and is served. For formal hall diners have to be seated for 7.15 pm, stand when the Fellows enter, then sit after saying grace. Unusually for Oxford, we do not stand up when the Fellows leave at the end of dinner. During these dinner we have to wear gowns, but can wear them over casual clothing.
Guest night dinners, which are held fortnightly on odd-numbered term weeks starting 7.15 pm prompt, are a great favourite of the MCR for their lavish 3-course catering and the customary after-parties. MCR members may bring up to 2 guests. Just as for formal hall we stand when the Fellows enter, then sit after saying grace. Unusually for Oxford, we do not stand up when the Fellows leave at the end of dinner. During guest night we do not wear gowns, but the dress code is smart.
The number of places available for these dinners is usually restricted and so early booking is recommended. Bookings open on the Thursday afternoon preceding the week of the meal, between 2 and 4pm. However to discourage students block booking places and then cancelling at short notice, the system may penalize those who cancel after 10 am on the Thursday preceding the dinner. Brian Cole, our esteemed Catering Manager will be keeping a reserve list of those who struggle to sign on. If you are experiencing such issues you should e-mail him directly and he will try and get you on.
Information on the meal arrangements and prices.
High Table Dining Rights
Up to four MCR members are permitted to dine at High Table on Mondays or Thursdays, during full term, at own expense (wine is charged depending on which is being served on the night and how many glasses you have). You may join the SCR in Lecture Room 4 before / after dinner but may not invite guests. Sign-up is by e-mail to the SCR Butler, Hassan Hamed hassan.hamed@new.ox.ac.uk by 10am on the Monday or Thursday in question.
In addition, the Tutor for Graduates, Professor Ratcliffe, has separate High Table dining rights and often invites first-year graduates to dine with him during term.
Eating Elsewhere
For those who like to self-cater, all graduate residences come equipped with some variety of kitchen; the kitchens at the sports ground buildings and at Warham House are especially spacious compared to other accommodation around Oxford. There are a number of supermarkets within walking distance from college. Both Tesco Metro and Sainsbury’s Local on Magdalen Street are perhaps the most convenient and well stocked. There is a larger Sainsbury’s in the Westgate Center, a 10-15 minute walk from Weston. Several other supermarkets can be found across Magdalen Bridge on Cowley Road and St Clement’s Street.
For evenings when you want to splurge, Oxford has an amazing variety of restaurants, many of which are hidden in various parts of the city. To assist in finding the right place, OUSU (Oxford’s undergraduate student government) distributes a guide that includes reviews of restaurants, pubs, and even kebab vans. These are typically handed out at Freshers’ Fair, which is held before the beginning of Michaelmas Term each year.