M&S Simply Food

Gate 1–20 side of Terminal 1, M&S Simply Food sits airside after security and works as your grab-and-go supermarket before short-hauls out of BHX. It runs early to late with hours often around the first and last departures, so you can stock up for 06:00 flights without relying on airline snacks.

This is a normal M&S food shop, not a café: think sandwiches, salads, fruit, snacks and bottled drinks priced around £3–£6 per item. Meal deals usually sit near the chillers by the entrance, with £5-ish combos that beat most sit-down spots in Terminal 1 on value and speed. You also get basics like crisps, biscuits and chocolate in travel sizes for under £2.

Fridges line the wall closest to the domestic gates 1–10 with pasta pots, sushi packs, and wraps that hold up fine on 1–3 hour flights. The bakery shelf near the tills has pastries and rolls you can pair with coffee bought elsewhere in T1. If you care about airport water prices, grab a 500ml still bottle here for roughly supermarket-plus-30p instead of lounge or café markups.

There’s no seating and the queue can spill into the corridor at around 07:30 and again after 16:30 when UK commuters pass through. Staff move people quickly, but self-checkouts on the right side of the entrance are the fastest if you only have a sandwich and drink. One tip: buy your snacks here in one go; prices in the smaller gate kiosks past 15–20 are higher for the same brands.