Feast Your Eyes On This

Eat healthily, cheaply, locally and help students. Feel deliciously smug after a meal at TVU's new FEAST restaurant

FEAST, Thames Valley University's new fast food restaurant, is open to the public!

We've uncovered the university's best kept secret - healthy, locally sourced, delicious food, at unreasonably low prices. But you don't have to be on a student' budget to eat there.

The bustling restaurant was opened a couple of months ago with funding from the School Food Trust - a body that promotes healthy eating in schools.

TVU is a FEAST Centre for the training of professional chefs in the school meals service.

Professor David Foskett MBE, associate dean for the Faculty of Professional Studies, has been pushing for this concept for years - students cooking and serving fellow students as part of their ongoing training. When School Feast came along David grabbed the opportunity to bring healthy food in house. "We're trying to develop a healthy eating food culture - using imaginative cooking techniques to make healthy food attractive food.

Open from 11.45 to 1.30 the restaurant offers three courses for £5. Yes, that's right - £5. When I went there was a choice between poached haddock with asparagus, salmon and chorizo, or fricasse of guinea foul. But if you're after a lighter lunch there are numerous salads to choose from. Pudding was sticky toffee pudding. I would have succumbed but I felt it might be out of place, given what we were there to talk about!

School Feast training has had some fantastic results in schools but David says there is still much to be done. Primary school training take up is impressive but secondary schools need to get on board.

"There is still some provision that is not up to standard," he said. "People need to recognise what we're up against. Obesity levels are rising and a third of all cancers are down to diet. Many of our young people wont outlive their parents."

"We see our training as all about developing preventative medicine."

Get along to TVU - it's really is just what the doctor ordered. And your bank balance will be left in a healthy state too.

Charlie Canniff

January 15, 2009