The airport experience is a Marmite one isn't it, you either love it or hate it.
I've always embraced it to be honest and have nothing but fond memories of arriving there as a child eager to see what magazine I could pick up from WHSmith to keep me occupied on the plane.
Now, with children of my own, I still like to think that the holiday begins at the airport and that usually means choosing somewhere to eat before take-off.
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Unlike previous trips, where a super early flight meant breakfast all round, this time we had the luxury of an afternoon flight.
I toyed with the idea of booking a lounge, but while it seemed tempting, I wasn't convinced we'd get our money's worth at £30 plus per person.
I wasn't overwhelmed with the selection of food on offer either - it all seemed a little bit random when my colleague tried it for herself - plus the price clearly factors in the wines, beers and spirits available and it's not really worth paying the same for kids who aren't drinking.
With that in mind we headed to see what else Terminal 1 has to offer. The choice at the Food Quarter includes bar mcr, Upper Crust, Giraffe, Pizzaluxe, Burger King and The Grain Loft.
My 12-year-old obviously wanted his Burger King fix, but we decided The Grain Loft offered a better variety for the four of us.
On a Saturday lunchtime, it was busy, but it's so spacious so it didn't feel overcrowded and there were still lots of tables available, including a cosy side booth where we settled.
Apparently you can also plug your iPod into one of the booths with sound pods and enjoy your own tunes, but we didn't have that luxury. No doubt it would have sparked a row over what to listen to anyway.
Ordering was so simple via the QR code on the app and there was lots of food to choose from.
There are pub classics including the likes of sausage and mash, steak and ale pie, fish and chips and chicken tikka masala; a decent selection of burgers and kebabs; along with salads, sharers, fries and sides.
Two of us opted for the burgers, one 'ultimate burger', topped with bbq pulled pork, streaky bacon, cheese and lettuce and the other a chicken katsu burger, made up of buttermilk chicken loaded with katsu curry sauce and curried slaw. Both came with a side of chips and both were just as mouth-watering as they sound.
With an all day breakfast on the menu, the boy's head turned from burger to bacon by this point. He was more than happy when his plate of sausages, bacon, eggs, tomato, beans and toast arrived. The inclusion of chips was a little bit random, but he wasn't complaining.
Neither was our eldest as she tucked into her sausages, mash, peas and gravy - dodging the peas as best she could of course.
But as well as being impressed with the standard of food, it was the ease of it all - and the speed with which it arrived - that struck us the most.
Don't get me wrong, it was long enough to not worry about it being undercooked, and fresh enough to be assured it hadn't been languishing on the side, but our meals arrived little more than 10 minutes after ordering. And by that time drinks were already on the table.
Time is of the essence when you have a flight to catch, but it meant we didn't have to rush our meal and as it has its own departure screens - visible from most seats in the restaurant - we could easily keep an eye out for our gate number.
It worked out around £20 each for the meal and a drink, so while it's not the cheapest option at the airport, it was a damn sight cheaper than visiting the lounge.
And that was with both children eating from the adult menu - and a rather pricy £6.85 pint of Birra Moretti thrown in too. The separate kids' menu has main meals for £6.29, or you can get a kids' bundle of main, dessert and drink for £8.39.
A fuss-free relaxing experience, leaving us with full bellies ahead of our four-hour flight, it was enough to put us on a high before the holiday had even begun.
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