Daisy and Anokhi take a trip down Biko Street

For students new and old, the refurbishment of the Students’ Union is an exciting and anticipated project that is sure to transform its role in our everyday lives. The main feature of this refurbishment has been the creation of Biko Street, essentially a ‘road’ of caterers who serve food from the union throughout the day. Prior to its expansion, the SU had only one main food vendor. However, it now has four hubs where different cuisines and beverages are served. These hubs can be found in the ‘EAT’ section of the ground floor and they are sure to provide diversity to our lunch times.

BREW — Brew is the new name and home to the counter that used to sell paninis, jacket potatoes and Starbucks in the old SU. It now predominantly serves Starbucks beverages including coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.

BURRITO CANTINA — voted for by students, Burrito Cantina is here to bring the heat. Serving a wide range of burritos, it caters for both vegetarian and meat-loving students.

Review: Priced at £4.50 you certainly get your money’s worth. We chose a pulled chicken burrito and it was definitely big enough to share, jam-packed with rice, salad, beans, guacamole and cheese. The perfect lunch if you are ravenous.

GLOBAL KITCHEN — This exciting new enterprise aims to introduce students to a range of cuisines from around the world. The cuisine on offer will rotate every semester which gives students the opportunity to discover something new.

Meal Deals:

Soup and Panini £4.50 — add a canned soft drink for £5
‘Taste of’ Special £4.50
‘Taste of’ meal deal £5

Review: Paninis come in a huge selection of flavours including roast Mediterranean veg, tuna melt, spicy meatball, Jamaican jerk, lime and coriander, Greek feta, Spanish chorizo, BBQ chicken and bacon and brie which we had the privilege of tasting.

THE VEGGIE HUT — In order to cater towards a growing number of students who have decided to ditch the meat, the SU has introduced a hub that serves predominantly vegetarian dishes. From jacket potatoes to an extensive salad bar, those of you seeking a lighter meal will not be left disappointed.

Review: The salad bar did not live up to expectations and I would seriously opt for the Morrison’s £3 salad box instead. The choice of salad is slightly bland and the pasta options are lacking with just plain pasta to choose from. However, the smoothies we tried were fantastic and they are currently £1 off. We tried the detox smoothie which contained pineapple, apple, spinach, kale, ginger and lemon — super tasty and SO good for you! They also have ‘energy’ and ‘defence’ smoothies to suit all your smoothie needs. Smoothies are made fresh to order and supplied by Packd.

Impressively, Biko street has put into practice the ethos of the students’ union and much of the student community. They have pledged to only serve FairTrade hot beverages and to only use free range eggs in their produce. Furthermore, all the disposable cutlery and containers that are provided by the food hubs are 100% biodegradable. This is an impressive step towards reducing the university’s overall carbon footprint and demonstrates that the Students’ Union has taken on board our environmental concerns.