Pancake Day (Tuesday 1 March)

The most indulgent day of the year is almost here again. Nothing is more irresistible than a stack of pancakes, drizzled in maple syrup, slathered in Nutella, or spritzed and sprinkled with traditional lemon and sugar.

Shrove Tuesday falls a little later this year, which means we’ve all had plenty of time to practice our pancake flipping skills (in theory). But if you would rather leave the hard work (and washing up) to the experts, here’s where you can get your pancake fix…

Gulbenkian Café (Gulbenkian Arts Centre)

10:00 – 16:30 (whilst stock lasts)

American style pancake stack topped with:
– Bacon and maple flavour syrup £4.50
– Chocolate and banana (V) £4.50
– Apple, cinnamon, golden syrup, strawberry coulis, and soya yoghurt (Ve) £4.50

Mungo’s (Eliot College)

9:00 – 21:00 (whilst stocks last)

*HALF PRICE PANCAKES ALL DAY*

American style pancake stack topped with:
– Blueberry and maple flavour syrup (V) £2.25
– Bacon and maple flavour syrup £2.25
– Banana and honey (V) £2.25
– Nutella (V) £2.25
– Nutella and banana (V) £2.25

Vegan pancakes also available – just let a member of staff know.

V – Vegetarian | Ve – Vegan

Pancake stack with berries

Festive Food & Drink on Campus

It’s nearly that time of the year. Christmas is coming! Gather your friends and colleagues together for a festive feast with all the trimmings.

Here are a few suggestions of where you can enjoy Christmas food and drink on campus…

 

Rutherford Dining Hall

Christmas Menu (6 – 16 December)

Traditional Christmas Lunch – 2 courses for £8.95
Choose from traditional roast turkey or festive nut roast with all the trimmings, followed by Christmas pudding or vegan chocolate orange torte.

To book a table, please call the dining hall on 01227 823500 or email rutherforddining@kent.ac.uk. All pre-booked groups will receive complimentary Christmas crackers.

Rutherford Christmas Lunch

Dolche Vita

Christmas Menu (1 – 16 December)

Chef’s Special Christmas Lunch – £7.00 (ex VAT)
A Christmas dinner with a Dolche Vita twist. No booking required. Includes a complimentary mince pie (whilst stocks last). 

Gingerbread Latte – £2.50
served with a traditional steamed milk top

 

Mungo’s

Christmas Menu (22 November – 16 December)

The Very Merry Mungo’s Burger – £6.80
Turkey breast topped with cranberry sauce, cheese, streaky bacon, and cheese sauce in a charcoal infused sesame seed brioche bun. Served with skinny fries.

The Christmas Club Sandwich – £6.00
Toasted triple stacked sandwich with turkey breast wrapped in streaky bacon and stuffed with chorizo, sage and paprika. Topped with cheese, tomato, lettuce, and sweet chilli mayo.

Gingerbread Latte – £3.00
served with whipped cream, cinnamon, and a mini gingerbread man

Mince Pie Milkshake – £4.00
topped with whipped cream

Gingerbread Milkshake – £3.50
topped with whipped cream (Vegan version also available)

The Very Merry Mungo’s Burger

Gulbenkian Café

Christmas Menu (15 November – 17 December)

Kentish Pigs in Blankets Mac and Cheese – £7.50
Gooey Kentish Mac and Cheese with extra little chunks of sausage wrapped in bacon.

Kentish Brie and Cranberry Croque Monsieur – £6.00
A festive take on a French classic – Brie and cranberry toasted sandwich topped with a mornay sauce and baked.

Handmade Pigs in Blankets Sausage Roll – £2.50
What do you get if you cross pigs in blankets with sausage rolls? Delicious Christmassy sausage-and bacon puff-pastry snacks.

After Eight Peppermint Hot Chocolate – £3.50
topped with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and mini marshmallows

Baileys Hot Chocolate – £4.95
topped with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder

Gingerbread Latte – £3.30
topped with whipped cream and a mini gingerbread man

Brie & Cranberry Croque Monsieur

Create

Christmas Drinks Menu (22 November – 16 December)

Gingerbread Latte – £3.00
topped with whipped cream, cinnamon, and a mini gingerbread man

Mint Hot Chocolate – £3.00
topped with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and mini marshmallows

Gingerbread Latte and Mint Hot Chocolate

K-Bar

Christmas Cocktail Menu (29 November – 17 December)

Gingerbread Martini – £5.00
Baileys, Kaluha, and gingerbread syrup

Hot Apple Pie Cocktail – £5.00
Spiced rum, Licor 43, apple juice, whipped cream, and cinnamon

 

Bag It

Christmas Signature Sandwiches (6 December – 16 December)

Boxing Day Turkey & Bacon Sub – £3.90
Turkey breast, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise in a soft sub roll

Brie, Chestnut & Cranberry Mayo Doorstop – £3.90
Brie, chestnut, and cranberry mayo between two thick slices of bread

Vegan Christmas Panini – £3.50
Smoked Applewood vegan cheese, vegan bacon, cranberry sauce

 

Sibson Café

Christmas Menu (6 November – 16 December)

Beefy Festive Feast Burger – £6.50 (ex VAT)
2 juicy beef patties with cheese, caramelised red onions, pig in blanket, and Santa slaw

Christmas Chicken Burger – £6.50 (ex VAT)
Seasoned chicken breast with grilled bacon, brie, cranberry sauce, and Santa slaw

Rudolph’s Veggie Feast – £6.50 (ex VAT)
Soya based patty with vegan cheese, caramelised red onions, cranberry sauce, and Santa slaw

Jumbo Pig in Blanket Hot Dog – £6.00 (ex VAT)
Served with caramelised red onions and Santa slaw

 

And that’s not all! There are plenty more festive offers and promotions across campus to celebrate the season. Keep an eye out for festive drinks, cakes, and street food. Visit your nearest café, bar or restaurant to discover what’s on offer.

 

Download the Order Up! app and begin your festive order today

Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals

Black Friday – notoriously one of the biggest shopping events of the year – is nearly upon us. In the UK, it is estimated that a total of £9.42 billion will be spent over the course of the Black Friday weekend.

It’s followed by Cyber Monday, which began in 2005 by the US National Retail Federation as a day solely for online deals. However, as online shopping becomes more and more popular, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have since blurred together, making Thanksgiving weekend somewhat of a shopping (and saving) frenzy.

Black Friday is always the day after Thanksgiving. So, this year, it’ll be on Friday 26 November, with Cyber Monday happening just after the weekend on Monday 29 November.

This year, K-Bar and Hut 8 will be a gold mine of special offers! You’ll be able to enjoy ALL their regular deals. ALL. DAY. LONG!

On Black Friday you’ll be able to enjoy these deals both in person (at the till) and on the Order up! app. Whereas on Cyber Monday, you’ll only be able to enjoy these deals on the Order Up! app.

Cocktails at K-Bar

Here’s a breakdown of what’s on offer this year…

BLACK FRIDAY & CYBER MONDAY DEALS

K-Bar

• 2 cocktail pitchers for £12
• 2 cocktails for £8
• 2 mocktails for £5
• VK for £2
• Pint of Carling for £2
• Free drink with any pizza (Includes draught beer, bottled beer, draught cider, bottled cider, VK, wine 175ml glass, hot drinks, and soft drinks. Excludes spirits, cocktails, mocktails, and smoothies)
• Add a soft drink to your toastie for £1 (Includes draught soft drinks, hot drinks, and fruit juice. Excludes bottled soft drinks)

Hut 8

• Chicken Fillet Wrap meal £5
• Halloumi Wrap meal £5
• Any 2 pizzas £10
• Any salad meal £5
• The Classic Cheese meal £5
• The Vegan Sandwich meal £5
• Falafel Wrap meal £5

Don’t forget to download the Order Up! app in preparation for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Available on both the App Store and Google Play. Simply search ‘Order Up! Kent’.

Flavours of Europe Menus: 10 May – 14 May

BBQ street food

Smokeworks BBQ

  • Homemade beef burger with smoked bacon, gorgonzola and basil
  • Chargrilled chicken Caesar salad
  • Portobello mushroom burger with pesto and vegan cheese (Ve)
  • Sides: garlic doughballs, cheese doughballs

The Street Kitchen

  • Porchetta roll with melted smoked mozzarella and a rosemary aioli
  • Grilled aubergine, vegan mozzarella and artichoke calzone
  • Sides: parmesan polenta chips with a pesto dip
  • Dessert: choice of gelato, choose from coconut (Ve), Sicilian pistachio, cookies and cream

 

(Ve) – Suitable for vegans

Flavours of Africa Menus: 17 May – 21 May

African peanut stew

Smokeworks BBQ

• Moroccan chicken wings
• South African-style boerewors sausages with Mrs Ball’s chutney (please note, boerewors contain a mixture of beef, lamb and pork)
• Moroccan spiced cauliflower steak (Ve)
• Sides: chakalaka (Ve)

The Street Kitchen

• Chicken suya with jollof rice and fried plaintain
• West African peanut stew with turmeric rice (Ve)
• Sides: black eyed bean fritter with hot sauce
• Dessert: Malva cake

Ile Afrik

• Jollof Rice (V)
• Jollof rice and stewed beef
• Jollof rice and chicken
• Fried rice (V)
• Fried rice with chicken
• African wrap (curry sauce, rice, rocket, plaintain, chicken strips (optional), feta cheese (optional)
• African wrap with bean cake (V)
• Sharwama wrap (halal chicken/beef/hotdog)
• Wrap in a box (African wrap in a box – gluten free option)

(Ve) – vegan (V) – vegetarian

Flavours of Asia Menus: 24 May – 4 June

Smokeworks BBQ

  • Tandoori chicken skewers
  • Goan lamb skewers
  • Paneer BBQ skewers with charred naan
  • Sides: saag aloo, mixed naan selection

 

  • Korean beef bulgogi BBQ ribs
  • Grilled aubergine with yu xiang sauce (Ve)
  • Thai spiced tuna steak
  • Sides: Korean BBQ corn on the cob and gochujang mayo, rojak salad (Ve)

The Street Kitchen

  • Vietnamese chicken pho
  • Tofu and shiitake mushroom pho (Ve)
  • Sides: prawn crackers with sweet chilli sauce, deep fried tempura vegetables
  • Dessert: banana katsu with caramel sauce and coconut ice cream

 

  • Kolkata chicken kathi roll with coriander and mint chutney
  • Vada Pav in a kathi roll with a green chilli and coriander sauce
  • Sides: onion bhaji, alo tikki
  • Dessert: coconut spice rice pudding

ROK Kitchen

  • Korean beef burrito
  • Veggie burrito
  • Korean fried chicken burger
  • ROK fries – loaded with cheese, spring onion and spicy sauce

(Ve) – Suitable for vegans

Flavours of The Americas Menus: 7 June – 11 June

Beef burritos on a board

Smokeworks BBQ

  • Sticky baby back ribs and spicy chicken wings with a sub roll and bourbon BBQ sauce
  • Classic American cheeseburger
  • Bubba Gump BBQ shrimp, zucchini and eggplant skewers served in a sub roll with New Orleans sauce
  • Barbecued sweet potato with pulled Oumph!, corn and beans topped with homemade BBQ sauce (Ve)

The Street Kitchen

  • Pulled chicken burrito filled with rice, tomato salsa, salad and Mexican cheese
  • Spiced mushroom burrito filled with rice, mango salsa, salad and vegan cheese
  • Sides: nachos – upgradie by adding chicken or mushroom topping
  • Dessert: churros with chocolate sauce, salted caramel sauce or cinnamon dusting

(Ve) – Suitable for vegans

Flavours of Kent Menus: 14 June – 18 June

fish, chips and mushy peas in a box

Smokeworks BBQ

  • Kentish old spot sausages with caramelised onions
  • Brogdale beef burger with Kentish blue cheese
  • Mackerel fillet in a locally-produced bun with beetroot and horseradish mayo
  • Barbecued Kentish asparagus with vegan parmesan pesto, served in a hot dog roll from Wingham Bakery (Ve)
  • Sides: mixed salad with pea shoots, homemade slaw

The Street Kitchen

  • Beer battered haddock, chips and mushy peas
  • Vegan fish (banana blossom) and chips with mushy peas (Ve)
  • Sides: pickled eggs, pickled gherkins, curry sauce
  • Desserts: Gypsy tart

(Ve) – Suitable for vegans

Valentine’s Day Special: Aphrodite’s Desire

Aphrodite's Desire: Chocolate Mousse with passionfruit yogurt

Valentine’s Day wouldn’t be complete without something chocolatey and indulgent, so why not round off your romantic dinner with this vegan chocolate mousse? Appropriately named Aphrodite’s Desire, this decadent dessert has been specially created by Kent’s very own Chef de Cuisine, Rob Grimer.

If you’ve never tried a silken tofu chocolate mousse before, this recipe will take you completely by surprise! It’s decadent, rich, velvety smooth, creamy, and unbelievably easy to whip up. You’ll never guess that this dessert is vegan.

You can try different variations of this recipe by adding extra ingredients and toppings, the possibilities are endless. Why not add a dollop of nut butter, some flaked almonds, or a sprinkling of freeze-dried raspberries?

Looking for the perfect main course to wow your loved one? Look no further than Ben Elsbury’s Dolche Vita-style chicken katsu curry.

Happy Valentine’s Day from Kent Hospitality! xoxoxo

Aphrodite’s Desire (vegan chocolate mousse with passionfruit yogurt)

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
• 200g silken tofu, drained
• 100g vegan dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1½ tbsp treacle
• ½ lime, juiced
• 2 passion fruits
• 2 tbsp caster sugar or to taste
• 2 tbsp thick vegan yogurt

Recipe:
1. Put the tofu, vanilla extract, treacle and lime juice in a large bowl and blend with a hand blender until silky smooth (you can use a whisk, but it will take slightly longer).

2. Melt the dark chocolate in a heatproof glass bowl sat over a saucepan of simmering water, being careful not to let the bowl touch the water.

3. Fold the melted chocolate into the tofu mixture. Spoon the mixture into two special glasses and refrigerate until set.

4. Cut both passion fruits in half and scoop out the pulp and seeds. Mix with the caster sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Fold half the passion fruit mix into the yogurt and leave in the fridge to set for about an hour.

5. To serve, remove the chocolate mousse from the fridge, top with a dollop of passion fruit yogurt, and pour over the rest of the passion fruit sauce. Garnish the dish with some grated chocolate and fresh fruit. Strawberries, raspberries, and tropical fruit will work well for this recipe.

Top tip: If you’re not vegan, you could swap the vegan yogurt for some thick Greek yogurt instead.

Did you have a go at this recipe? If yes, high five! Well done you! Why not share your attempt on Instagram and tag us @unikentfood?

Valentine’s Day Special: Chicken Katsu Curry

Chicken Katsu Curry

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, so why not wow your sweetheart with a delicious homemade meal?

We’ve asked Kent’s Chef de Cuisines, Ben Elsbury and Rob Grimer, to come up with a scrumptious two-course Valentine’s Day dinner that’ll surprise and delight your loved one. These dishes are low cost and easy enough for any home chef to master, whatever the skill level.

Today we’re going to focus on the main course. For this, Ben’s chosen a student-friendly chicken katsu curry. This Japanese-inspired curry is a decadent treat with its golden, breaded chicken and smooth curry sauce. If you know someone who’s longing for a Dolche Vita-style katsu curry – this is the dish for them!

Getting the panko breadcrumbs to stick to the chicken is probably the trickiest part of this recipe, so take your time and read the instructions well.

Tomorrow we’re going to be publishing the recipe for Rob’s Valentine’s Day dessert, Aphrodite’s Desire, a vegan chocolate mousse with passionfruit yogurt. So, tune in tomorrow for more delicious declarations of love. 

Chicken Katsu Curry

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
• Vegetable oil
• 2 chicken breasts
• Juice of half a lime
• 10g coriander, chopped
• 1 egg
• 10ml milk
• 60g panko breadcrumbs.
• 40g plain flour
• 40g chip shop curry sauce mix
• 40g carrot, cut into thin matchsticks or grated
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 50g red cabbage, thinly sliced
• 50g white cabbage, thinly sliced
• 150g jasmine rice
• Salt and pepper
• ½ lime, cut into segments for garnish

Recipe:
1. Prepare all the ingredients and have them ready in front of you – it always makes cooking much easier. Heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan and bring two saucepans of water to the boil (one with about 1litre of water for the rice, and one with 250ml of water for the curry sauce – this will be needed later in the recipe.)

2. Begin by preparing the raw slaw. Mix the carrot, red onion, red cabbage, white cabbage, chopped coriander, and lime juice in a bowl together. Season well with salt and pepper and leave in the fridge.

3. Now prepare the breading station. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour with some salt and pepper. In a second bowl, beat the egg and milk together. In a third bowl, add the panko breadcrumbs. Top tip: breading chicken can get a little messy, you might want a bowl of hot soapy water to hand.

4. Slice your chicken breasts in two widthways, starting from the thickest part of the breast. You should now have four thin chicken fillets.

5. Working with one piece at a time, dip each chicken breast into the flour, then shake off the excess. Next, run the chicken through the egg mixture, again, shake off the excess. Finally, dip the chicken into the panko breadcrumbs and coat on both sides. You can gently press the breadcrumbs into the chicken to make sure they stick. Lay the chicken pieces on a plate once done.

6. Heat a good glug of vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. When hot, add your chicken fillets and fry for a couple of minutes on each side until the breadcrumbs begin to colour.

7. Once golden, transfer the chicken pieces to a baking tray or oven proof dish and cook in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

8. While the chicken is in the oven, cook the jasmine rice to the packet instructions and add the curry sauce granules to the 250ml of boiling water, stirring well.

10. Once the chicken is cooked, slice the breaded chicken pieces into strips at an angle. To check your chicken is cooked, cut into the thickest part of the meat and check that its firm and white. Put the chicken back in the oven for a few minutes if it still looks pink.

11. To serve, generously heap the jasmine rice onto one side of your plate, add the slices of breaded chicken to the other, pop a little raw slaw on the side, and liberally pour the curry sauce on top. Serve with lime wedges.

Top tip 1: You can adapt this recipe to make it vegan. Simply substitute the chicken for firm tofu and use soy milk instead of the egg mixture.

Top tip 2: Can’t find panko breadcrumbs? You can use regular breadcrumbs instead.

Did you have a go at this recipe? If yes, high five! Well done you! Why not share your attempt on Instagram and tag us @unikentfood?