The essential guide to food and gyms in Medway

 

Kieran Watkin's dishes the dirt of the best places to eat both on and off campus, as well as where to burn it all off! (written by Kieran Watkins for The Medwire)

Not all university students have to live off tins of baked beans and pot noodles. Some may attempt to cook, some may wish to order a takeaway, but if you’re feeling adventurous, you could always sample the local cuisine of Medway. Here to help you with a few picks of the best fine-dining establishments is the Medwire’s very own guide to eating in Medway:

On campus:
The university campus has various cafes and restaurants for students. On the Kent campus, the newly refurbished No.1 Bistro in the Rochester building offers everything from maple pancakes at breakfast to lasagne in the afternoon.
On the Greenwich campus, there is Costa Coffee and a range of hot food in the Pembroke building, with food available in the Canterbury Christ Church buildings.
The Pilkington building offers the best choice for hungry students with a varied menu each day. The campus bar, Coopers, also offer pub grub. Watch out for their special curry nights too! The Drill Hall Library and the campus shop, Essentials, offer various snacks and drinks too.

Chatham:
Just a five-minute walk from campus is Chatham Dockside, where a host of fast food outlets and restaurants are all conveniently located next to the waterfront. For a quick snack, Burger King or Subway should do the trick. For cheap meals, Dean’s Diner and Pizza Hut will leave you and your wallet looking healthy. Student favourites The Real China (all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet) and Nandos are both available here. Fancy something a bit upmarket? Dine on Italian cuisine at Zippers or be treated to a bit of Mexican spice at Chimichanga.
Dockside is also great for coffee too, from the fantastic range of Panini’s at Caffe Fratelli to the Australian-inspired flat white at Boomers café. You can also grab a bite to eat and wash it down with a nice cold pint at the Ship and Trades pub, just off Dockside towards St Mary’s Island.

Gillingham:
When you come to Medway, you will realise that takeaways are aplenty. And I mean aplenty! You just have to walk through Gillingham High Street to see for yourself. There’s everything from kebabs to southern fried chicken, Thai to Indian; there is something for everyone.
Our favourites however? For oodles of noodles, head to Tai Won Mein where for just a fiver for head, you’ll be full for days. Dixy’s Chicken in Gillingham will almost certainly cure a hangover after a heavy night at Bliss, just off the High Street. And if you love American food, head to the Hollywood Bowl opposite Medway Park for one of Gillingham’s best-kept secrets.

Rochester:
In the cathedral town of Rochester, hundreds of café’s and tearooms with freshly made sandwiches are surely enough to tickle your taste buds. Pubs are aplenty here too, so it’s the perfect place for a Sunday lunch.
Our pick? Head to the yummy Serendipity cupcake bar for Rochester’s finest cup cakes.

And after you’ve eaten to your hearts content? Well ensure you don’t have a heart attack by signing up to Medway’s finest selection of gyms and recreational facilities
- Medway Park, Gillingham (Tel: 01634 336655)
- Roko health club, Gillingham (Tel: 01634 382333)
- Waterfront health and leisure club, Gillingham (Tel: 01634 280033)
- Virgin Active, Rochester (Tel: 01634 292900)

Martha and the war against school dinners

School dinners hey. Who can remember those roast dinner days where you had a slither of meat that looked like a piece of processed mush, smelled like dog food and tasted like plastic? Or those delicious yet disgustingly made turkey twizzlers?

To be honest, school dinners were never that bad. And before Jamie Oliver came in and offered healthy alternatives for twice the price, they were something to look forward to. I remember the long line of hungry kids in primary school queueing up for the day’s special, or the choir of voices as the cook came out with seconds.

School dinners are just as integral to our education system as those cold days playing football in the rain or forgetting your lines in the nativity play. Everyone child across the country at some point will experience a school dinner.

But just what constitutes a school dinner nowadays? Last week, I was fascinated by the plight of one school girl from Scotland, 9 year old Martha Payne, who has set up a blog showing startling pictures of her school dinners from her primary school, or rather lack of dinner.

The pictures she has posted show ominous amounts of food that, if I was eating, would probably last a few mouth fulls. One days meal constituted of a burger, with melted cheese, in a bun with two potato croquettes and three slices of cucumber, with a ‘rocket’ lolly for dessert. Not only does this strike me as such a small amount for a growing child, but it’s hardly healthy either.

Her blog, NeverSeconds, has raked up an impressive six million hits and growing, and has support from newspapers and even Jamie Oliver himself (the man that I thought most school children despised!) Despite causing controversy among her teachers and the local council, her campaign is very impressive and definitely strikes a chord with the nation, with many other disgruntled schoolchildren across the country (and even the worldwide) uploading their pictures of puny portions.

So despite an original ban implemented by her teachers and the council, Martha’s story has garnered huge support and the ban has now been lifted. However, it alarms me that despite the criticism of school meals, the government have started to tamper with school meals and food provision. Already a consultation is running into stopping the funding for free milk for young children and nursery schools. There have also been widespread calls for breakfasts to be introduced to children that get free school meals, which I expect the government will turn down also.

It’s a shame, because I remember having fond memories of free breakfasts in primary school during my Sats tests. Not only was it reassuring and calming to have breakfast before sitting exams, but it also ensured I was given a nice, healthy breakfast. Kids nowadays, particularly those at secondary school, miss out on breakfast - so free breakfasts would enable kids to eat healthily. And surely having a healthy breakfast means kids will respond better in lessons too?

Jamie Oliver might have changed the face of school dinners, but he hasn’t really saved them. If school dinners are going to survive, the government needs to stop talking to the experts and start listening to the kids and parents. After all, they’re the ones that know best.

Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia/ Neverseconds blog

Martha is helping raise money for Mary's Meals, a charity that works with local volunteers to supply school meals to local children and communities. You can find out more here.

Sian Williams leaves BBC Breakfast

It was a sad day for early morning viewers this morning, as BBC Breakfast presenter Sian Williams, after over a decade on the famous red sofa, hung up her microphone and waved goodbye to breakfast television. A competent and professional presenter, Sian has been a delight to viewers waking up in the morning, with her co-host Bill Turnball. Today, she gave her final summary in a tear-jerking show that saw her reduced to tears as she looked back on her favourite moments on the programme.

The programme, the most watched breakfast show in the UK, is relocating to Salford this year in Manchester, with a new studio and new producers. Despite criticism from the Media and the public at the move, the BBC have gone ahead with the plans, meaning Sian's fate was inevitable. Preferring to stay with her family down South, Sian decided to resign from the early morning starts.

Sian will not be disappearing altogether however. Soon to be presenting on Radio 4, along with her commitments to the Olympics and BBC News summaries, the presenter is dedicated to the BBC, telling the Daily Mail "the BBC is in my blood."

As an aspiring journalist, it is my dream, one day, to get the chance to present a news programme, and Sian's legacy has really inspired me. Her warm-hearted touch, together with her co-presenter Bill Turnball, has delighted over 2 million viewers in the country. She will be missed.

Here are her highlights: Sian Williams leaves BBC Breakfast

Picture Courtesy of Wikipedia