Buy food and drink
Buying food and drink in a new country can be really exciting with lots of new things to try which may be quite different to back home. There are lots of places to purchase food and in time you'll probably find places that you'll go to regularly. When you first get to the UK it's important to keep eating a regular diet and to take care of yourself. There are shops close to City North Campus including two large supermarkets (Asda and Tesco) and a large shopping centre called One Stop that has lots of shops.
Opening Times
Generally shops are open between 9am and 5pm. Large supermarkets ofen stay open later and some are 24 hours except on Sundays when most shops shut earlier. You may find that some shops don't open on a Sunday as this is traditionally a religous day in the UK when many people used to attend church.
If you arrive in the UK after 5pm it may be best to buy food and provisions from the airport so that you have something to eat later as you may not want to go out on your first evening. It is best to explore a new place in the daylight. At the end of June it starts to go dark at around 9.30pm and in September it starts to go dark at around 7.30pm
Takeaways
There are lots of takeaways to chose from where you can purchase a variety of food including pizza, curry and Chinese. It may be best to ask at your accommodation or ask a local person for a good place to go.
Restaurants
Birmingham is full of restaurants, cafes and other eateries offering all kinds of cuisine from around the world. Traditional British food can be bought in most pubs and bars as well as many other restaurants and there is also a good selection of restaurants with a more European feel such as French, Italian and Spanish. Asian cuisine is very popular in the UK and Birmingham is host to a large selection of Indian, Chinese and Thai restaurants. Get more information about restaurants in Birmingham.
Variety of food
Birmingham is a great place to find a wide variety of ingriedients.There are many places in Birmingham where you can buy halal foods. Close to the City North campus there are Halal food stores and the larger supermarkets also sell a selection of halal products. In the City Centre Halal meat can be purchased from the large Birmingham food market at the back of the Bullring shopping centre. Birmingham food market sells a great selection of food for all tastes including fruit and vegetables, seafood and meat. In addition there are food shops selling specific food such as the Chinese Supermarket in the Chinese quarter in the City Centre and PAKs Supermarket near to City North Campus that sells a wide range of Indian food and spices. If you are looking for something in particular let us know and we'll see if we can help: orientation@bcu.ac.uk
Drinks
In the UK people can drink alcohol from the age of 18 years old. If you look under 21 years of age it is likely you will be asked to show identification (ID). If you go out drinking it is a good idea to take ID howver do be careful if you take your passport out as this may cause you some difficulties if you lose it.
Go to New Students: After Arrival