I've never seen BTC anywhere in the real world in the UK, plus doesn't BTC have like 30 minutes + send time? That must have been an awkward wait

Depends on how much fee is included on the payment. Usually it takes around 20-30 mins. or less if you put the normal fee which is 0.0001.
That is one problem I find in transacting with bitcoins irl. Even getting a single confirmation takes several minutes. It is kinda slow for a fast-paced business imo.