Freshers Handbook 2021 24-09

2.5 Food 23
2.5.3 Cooking for yourself and eating out
Learning to make some basic everyday meals will save you a lot of money in
exchange for a bit of time and forward planning. Facilities are available at Trinity for
those that wish to cook for themselves: wherever your room is, your staircase will
have a communal mini-kitchen, called a gyp. This room will contain cupboards, a
sink, a fridge, a kettle, a toaster and a microwave. If you’re in Wolfson or Blue Boar
Staircase I, your gyp will also have an oven and hobs. Note: don’t start cooking and
then leave the room, as you will set off fire alarms.
The Trinity College Bar & Coffee Shop
You can also eat out. Cambridge has many cafés and restaurants that cater to all
sorts of diets. Bear in mind that it will (almost always) be more expensive than Hall
or cooking, but it can be good for a treat. Many places have a student discount, so
make sure to ask if you do eat out!
2.5.4 Formal Hall
Formal Hall dinners (‘Formals’) are a unique feature of Cambridge; every College
has them although they all do them slightly differently. Formals are a great way
to celebrate something important or create something to look forward to. You are
encouraged (by tradition, and by us) to be sociable in Formals and to talk to the
people you’re sat next to, whoever that may be.
For Formals at Trinity, you have to dress up and wear a gown (see more in the
Formal Clothes section). In return for this and about £12, you get a three course
meal with wine (+ coffee/tea) served to you at your table. You are also allowed two
guest tickets, which are slightly more expensive. You buy tickets for Formals using
UpayChilli (an online catering system and app), which is also where you can check
your Kitchen Account balance for the term. TCSU also run various themed Formals
throughout the year, including Welfare Formals, Green Formals, Halloween Formal
and others, so keep your eyes peeled.
Formals will probably be quite different to what you may be used to, and are
when the College feels most like Hogwarts. As long as you start with the cutlery on