Enjoying Essex : eating out

Being a student often means that pennies are a bit scarce at times. But there will still be times when you want to go out for dinner, maybe to celebrate a birthday, passing an exam, or just as a treat (after you get paid by the Student Loan Company!). Plus, the novelty of food shopping and cooking may well wear off after a time!

The great thing about the University of Essex’s campuses is that there is a massive range of places to eat close-by to suit all tastes and needs. Here is a quick low-down:

If you have simply run out of vegetables, meat, bread, pasta, just about everything really (except a broken OXO cube and some mouldy cheese) and just want a cheap, hot meal, then Wetherspoons is the place for you. They have different deals on through out the week and the drinks are cheap as well. A student favourite is to go early and have the pensioners’ meal, dinner and a cup of tea for just a few pounds. What more can you want?

Colchester and Southend both has a wide-range of choices when it comes to Italian restaurants including Pizza Express, Ask, Strada and Prezzo. Your best value for money option would probably be Pizza Express; it’s tasty as well as well as being more reasonably priced (and often has vouchers for 2 for 1).Colchester Campus has it’s very own Italian on campus – Mondo Pizza; well-known amongst students for its great value and tasty food! All of the pizzas are freshly made on campus, and they have different themed menus at different times of the year (Valentines Day, Christmas).

You wake up after a few drinks too many the night before, your head hurts, you’re starving, you’re thirsty and you’re craving salt. One of the best ways to make your self feel better is to find some salty, greasy, unhealthy food. Colchester and Southend, with their all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets and massive range of fast food outlets provides all the choice you need. Pizza Hut not only offers all you can eat pizza and pasta, but has the added bonus of refillable drinks so you can re-hydrate at the same time!

If you want to eat out but really can’t afford to pay for the luxury why not eat al fresco and have a picnic!