Fourteen hungry students versus just two microwaves. 600 students versus 120 seats at dinner. Perhaps it is not always food fit for a king at King’s College. The University’s Accommodation webpage claims that “Basic self-catering facilities are also available if you want to cook for yourself”, yet the reality for many students falls short.

As a Caian in Harvey Court, blessed with two induction hobs, a microwave, two fridges and our very own kitchen balcony, the absence of ovens and freezers is trivial in comparison to other students’ situations. At Caius, there is a choice: to self-cater and cook your own quality meals, to go to an informal cafeteria dinner at 5:30 pm, or attend the later formal dinner. There is space for everyone to attend hall, and kitchens are well enough equipped to cook basic meals.

“I was oblivious to what appear to be some vastly overlooked discrepancies between colleges”

But did I choose Caius because of these specific facilities? No, I was oblivious to what appear to be some vastly overlooked discrepancies between colleges. A lack of hobs, ovens, fridges, and freezers forces some students into paying for all their meals in hall daily. Good nutrition is key to strong academic performance, crucial at somewhere like Cambridge, yet students often lack the facilities to ensure they can prioritise eating a balanced diet. Furthermore, students are poorly prepared for adult life: it is unlikely that any of us will emerge from the Cambridge cocoon with a degree in cooking.

Alfie, a 2nd-year at King’s College, described his cooking facilities as “utterly shit.” He has a single microwave in his kitchen, shared between four students and one more microwave downstairs, shared between eight to ten - no hobs, ovens or freezers. This inability to cook substantial meals means being herded into the Servery nearly every night instead, at £6 each time – not an ideal situation for students on a budget.

When asked what he could cook with the microwave, Alfie told me his go-to meal is precooked chicken, microwave rice and broccoli, one of the only plausible healthy options. “It hinders academic performance massively; we are propelled into unhealthy eating, and I would definitely not eat like that at home,” he said. Last year, when he had access to a proper hob, he said, “I was eating a lot healthier.” Whilst he accepted and understood the need to maintain old infrastructure and the potential fire risk behind installing ovens and new state-of-the-art kitchens, the kitchens lacked things as basic as a hob.

He said that the college had been “rude and insensitive,” completely dismissing his and his flatmates’ request to use their own appliances, which they only had to ask for following the lack of any alternative. “A disingenuous email from a former Domus Bursar at King’s essentially insinuated we chose the cheapest accommodation and therefore this is what we get when in reality it was the last place available because we were at the bottom of the ballot and had no control over it,” he said.

Alfie argued that there is a broader problem of “the infantilisation of students” at Cambridge. He said, “We deserve more leeway as sensible adults who just want to make our lives a bit easier with our own appliances” as opposed to being treated like “naughty fifteen-year-olds who will set fire to everything.” He continued, “All I’m really asking for are a few easy changes […] they PAT test everything in our rooms so they could just as well PAT test our own appliances and let us use them. I understand that it is a real privilege to live in college and that it is unreasonable to install new kitchens, but I’d like to save money with my own appliances without that shadow over me that I might be reported or fined.” However, despite this ongoing issue, Alfie told me it was a small aspect of life at King’s - “I absolutely would not have chosen a different college, I love King’s and am loyal and wedded to it.”

“Alfie argued that there is a broader problem of “the infantilisation of students” at Cambridge.”

I also spoke to Jen, a first year at Caius, who felt that there are notable differences in kitchen quality between accommodation blocks within Caius itself, saying, “The cooking facilities between Harvey Court and Stephen Hawking Building have some differences that make them unequal,” giving the example of the lack of tables in some kitchens, rendering them a poor social space. However, she found that the facilities “do get us by between meals at caff”, using the gyps as “a backup.” Jen said that “being catered by the college is a benefit as it saves time and planning for the student,” and one thing she really appreciated about Caius after being pooled there “is their sense of responsibility toward the health and wellbeing of their students.”

However, she said, “I’m also aware that it can be an effort to dine in Hall when my social battery is drained, or I have work due the next day. Sometimes, I just need something quick and easy [….] Hall timings can be difficult.” She felt the lack of an oven brought limitations, adding, “We only have one induction hob for our kitchen, […] which means when one person is inside using it, the other six have to wait.”

At modern Murray Edwards, the formal dinners are few and far between. War breaks out amongst students, almost fighting harder to get a seat at the one weekly formal dinner than they did to get an interview. However, the Medwards cooking facilities are significantly better than those elsewhere. Edie, a first year at Murray Edwards, acknowledged the luxury of ovens and freezers (facilities in the minority at Cambridge), calling the kitchens there “some of the best,” providing “complete freedom over how and when I want to eat.” She shares two kitchens with 15 students, including access to three ovens, a few hobs, a microwave, a large freezer, two fridges and a large table.

Edie told me cooking facilities were “one of the main things she thought about when choosing a college,” it being extremely convenient to shove a frozen pizza in an oven on a busy Friday night, saving time spent eating in Hall “when sometimes I just want to cook later,” or avoiding waiting for hob space. Edie emphasised that the kitchens are “really beneficial in terms of community and cooking together,” something made especially clear on the first night of Freshers Week when there was not enough food in Hall for all students, so Edie and those on her floor cooked together and got to know each other. Edie said that thanks to the kitchens, “most of my closest friends are those I live with and cook with.”

Therefore, a functional kitchen at Cambridge is not guaranteed. Most Cambridge students choose either to pay up and live as catered students or live off microwaveable food. Cooking facilities should be carefully considered when choosing a college, advice which should be emphasised for future students.