With hundreds of thousands of freshers due to flock to their new homes this September, The Grub Crawl launches to help students make new mates while grabbing a bite to eat.

For many new students at university, it will be the first time they have had to fend for themselves in the kitchen.

Not only will freshers have to do their own laundry, but they’ll also have to sort their own meals out and food is top of students’ minds when it comes to starting university.

Along with making new friends, food has been named as a major priority for many freshers, according to the new research.

Created to celebrate the launch of Deliveroo Students, The Grub Crawl is set to be this year's ultimate Freshers Week activity.

The tours are designed to encourage students to bond whilst discovering their new city, after new data revealed making friends (31%) is the top concern for this year’s freshers.

Aisha Jefferson at Deliveroo said: “We’re so excited to be launching our new student club, Deliveroo Students, and what better way to announce it than with The Grub Crawl.

“It’s designed to give students the ultimate free foodie tour and help freshers discover local restaurants and meet new mates at a really exciting but equally scary time, as many first-year students move to new cities, try to make new friends, and cook for themselves for the first time.”

Whether it’s hangover-saving kebabs, loaded cheeseburgers after a night out, or Instagrammable plates, food is an integral part of the university experience, so much so that nine out of 10 (90%) of first year students find ordering food and eating together is a great way to connect with new people.

Ealing Times:

Surviving on beans on toast and cereal is not on the agenda for this year’s batch of students.

The study, commissioned by Deliveroo, in which 1000 new students took part, shows that one in three are naturally worried about making new friends (31%) but most are keen to join clubs and societies (57%) as well as finding the best local spots to eat (55%).

Away from their parents’ kitchens, further research found pizza (62%), burgers (51%), and fried chicken (37%) are the most popular dishes that new university students will pick while ordering a takeaway with friends at university.

The Grub Crawl is launching for Freshers’ Week: a free foodie tour designed to discover local restaurants in Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, and Bristol between September 21 and October 6.

The multi-person bike tours, headed up by student reps, will take groups on food tours of the city grabbing great bites as they make their way around. To land a spot on the Grub Crawl, students can sign up at deliveroostudents.co.uk.

“Our research found eating is a key bonding experience for young people, with 88% of students feeling closer to their friends after sharing a meal together,” added Jefferson.

“We look forward to helping our Grub Crawlers discover new and delicious restaurants on their doorstep, and maybe make some new friends along the way!”

The five most popular cuisines are:

● Italian (57%)

● Chinese (55%)

● Indian (49%)

● British (38%)

● Japanese (22%)