Taking a break and connecting with others is a great way to offset stress. That’s what the attendees at the summer healthy eating event on Highfield campus were able to do.

Across our University campuses, we have a range of eating locations and areas where colleagues from different teams and departments can come together over delicious food. Twice a year the Campus Kitchen team, with support from the Staff Wellbeing team, hold an event to give people the chance to sample great food and company.

The latest event involved a cooking demonstration from Lewis Huggins, Senior Sous Chef, taking place in the courtyard area close to the award-winning Blue Room restaurant at Highfield campus. As attendees including wellbeing champions and other colleagues watched on, Lewis showed them how to make a tasty and healthy mushroom and marmite dish. All the produce he used was either grown on campus or sourced locally.

Once he’d finished his demonstration attendees tucked into a buffet of the food he had cooked, along with some breads and butter made by the Campus Kitchen. They also sampled produce from other suppliers and could enter a competition to win a meal for two at the Blue Room.

Colleagues enjoyed the chance to take a break from their desks and mix with others in the sunshine and welcome shade. Changing your physical location, as well as the activities you are undertaking, provides a cognitive reset. Even doing this for a short time can have a big impact.

It’s a win-win situation – you feel better once your brain has had a rest, and you work better too.

Richard Bell, Health and Safety Manager (Wellbeing), said “It was good to see people from different parts of the University taking a break and coming together over delicious food. Being outdoors in the shade of the courtyard was an added bonus!”

To find out more about the services offered by the Staff Wellbeing team to help you manage your wellbeing and keep well at work, visit the Health and Wellbeing Sharepoint site.

To find out more about the Campus Kitchen offer across our campuses, visit the catering website. We have a range of spaces available for both internal staff and private events, including the Blue Room and dedicated conference facilities. Get in touch to discuss your event needs: hospitality@soton.ac.uk

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