A quarter (28%) of Brits admit that they still didn’t have a clue how to cook when they graduated from university, despite half (47%) insisting that their culinary skills improved during their time studying, according to new research revealed today.
Two-thirds of graduates admit they had to prioritise price over quality (68%) and nutritional value (66%) when buying food as a university student, with three out of five (59%) claiming that limited budget was the single biggest factor which impacted their diet. Indeed, almost a third (30%) of Brits reveal that they spent less than £3 per day* on food while they were at university – leading just a quarter (26%) to believe their meals were balanced and only a fifth (19%) to claim they were healthy.
To celebrate the launch of Two Point Campus™, the management sim which tasks players with building and running the university campus of their dreams, SEGA and Two Point Studios™ surveyed over 2,000 graduates from across the UK to explore the gastronomic behaviour of university students.
Speed and efficiency are among the most important considerations for British students when choosing what to cook, leading a quarter (24%) of graduates to spend fewer than 15 minutes making a typical meal. It is perhaps not surprising, then, that a quarter (27%) relied on frozen food to get them through university, meanwhile microwave meals (25%), breakfast cereal at any time of day (24%) and tinned goods (24%) topped the polls for the most common foodstuffs devoured by students.
Nevertheless, following findings that four out of five (82%) Brits still eat their favourite meals that they made during their years as a student, with a third (32%) nostalgic for the meals they enjoyed while at university and 14% revealing it makes them feel younger, SEGA and Two Point Studios are opening a one-of-a-kind pop-up gourmet experience in Shoreditch, London.
The Two Point Canteen will serve a bespoke menu of elevated student classics designed by Miguel Barclay, the One Pound Meals chef and best-selling author, to the public on Tuesday, 9th August. With over a quarter (27%) of Brits wishing that they could still enjoy their student staples without judgement, Miguel Barclay will be at the Two Point Canteen to showcase how guests can add a gourmet edge to those student staples, bringing extra flair to even the most basic of meals.
Gary Carr, Studio Director at Two Point Studios, said: “Two Point Campus has been a labour of love for us as we really wanted to celebrate and honour the best parts of university life, from the extracurricular activities and forming meaningful relationships, to graduating and preparing to kickstart their careers. I think we all get nostalgic thinking about the role that food played during those unique years, and we all remember the first time we baked some turkey spirals and almost burned down the kitchen! We couldn’t be more excited to have partnered with Miguel to celebrate some of the most iconic student meals that everyone remembers.”
A third (35%) of Brits admit that they survived on a repetitive diet while at university, leading three out of five (57%) to wish they had tried to be more ambitious in the kitchen. University is traditionally a time of discovery, and that includes gastronomy: over three-quarters (77%) of graduates were introduced to at least one new type of cuisine while studying, with Indian (22%), Chinese (20%) and Mexican (19%) the dishes most commonly experienced for the first time.
A third (34%) of graduates were inspired by recipes taught to them by their parents, while a quarter (26%) used recipes found online to guide them in the kitchen. 24% didn’t bother with recipes at all and relied on cooking freestyle with whatever they could find in the cupboards, with almost half (45%) admitting that they ate food after it had passed its expiry date.
Money continues to be a decisive factor for many during the cost-of-living crisis, leading a quarter (25%) of Brits to admit that they revert to their favourite cheap student meals, including beans on toast (41%), pasta with ketchup (23%) and crisp sandwiches (21%). To reflect these findings, every meal at the Two Point Canteen will cost just £1, with all proceeds donated to the Trussell Trust, the anti-poverty charity which supports a nationwide network of more than 1,300 food bank centres.
Miguel Barclay, the One Pound Meals chef and best-selling author, said: “It’s no surprise to me that money plays such an important role in the diet of university students and that’s why I’ve dedicated myself to teaching people how they can cook wholesome, rounded and – most importantly – exciting meals for just £1 a time. We’ve all had those moments when there’s nothing in the cupboard but that can be the catalyst for some of the most experimental and joyful cooking experiences. Working with SEGA on the Two Point Canteen has been an exercise in pure nostalgia for me and I can’t wait for people to get stuck in and relive those great memories.”
