What Love Island stars eat in the villa and why viewers don't see them at mealtimes

Love Island is set to return with a new group of former contestants re-entering the villa in hopes of finding love. The second all-star series will feature familiar faces such as Gabby Allen, Curtis Pritchard and Kaz Crossley.

As regular viewers of the popular ITV2 dating show know, not everything that happens in the Love Island villa is shown on screen. From discussions about the outside world to the smoking area, there are many aspects of villa life that remain unseen by viewers.

One such aspect is meal times. While we often see the Love Island contestants preparing their own breakfasts and snacking throughout the day, we rarely see them cooking or eating their lunch or dinner unless it's part of a specific challenge.

This is because a catering station is set up within the villa grounds where chefs prepare the main meals for the islanders. The production team also joins the contestants for these meals, which often include salads and barbecued meats like burgers and ribs.

Contestants with allergies or specific dietary needs are also catered for. For instance, former contestant Afia Tonkmor, who is vegan and allergic to fish, mentioned that she was provided with her own vegan meals in separate containers, reports Bristol Live.

The villa's catering routines certainly mix things up with Meat-free Monday and Sunday dinners reportedly being a staple, while past participants note that takeaways are permitted on select evenings. They also have access to a tuck shop-style cupboard in the kitchen for snacks.

Despite some islanders praising the meals, not everyone's been satisfied—Chyna Mills admitted on Instagram she lost weight during her stay because the food wasn't to her taste. "I barely ate in the villa, hence why I lost so much weight," she disclosed.

"Some nights were alright, I'm sure we had a kebab one night. The lunch was s**t. It is sad but I'm getting my appetite back now which is good."

She added, "The food just wasn't to my liking some days – I can't say every day I didn't eat, but you just couldn't make things yourself if you didn't like the food."

Meal times are not usually filmed, regarded as the islanders' downtime away from the continuous camera surveillance, notes former contestant Olivia Attwood. It's also a period when the crew communicates various announcements, such as laundry schedules, ensuring that villa life discussions are off the table during mealtime.