I attempted six of Wetherspoon’s Christmas dishes and was left speechless by one
One meal was so good it left us all silent and wanting more, while another was just bland and tasteless
As the Christmas season draws near, restaurants and pubs are unveiling their festive menus for food lovers to explore. Last week, popular pub chain Wetherspoons revealed its latest yuletide menu, featuring an array of unique dishes alongside a classic roast dinner.
On a chilly Sunday afternoon, my family and I ventured to our local ‘Spoons to try out most of the new offerings. We splashed out around £65 on six dishes, which included two different burgers, a pizza, the roast dinner and a couple of desserts.
Here’s how I’ve ranked the Wetherspoons meals we tried. Find out which dish left us all astounded and hankering for more.
6. Chicken, stuffing, bacon and brie pizza – £11.52
Wetherspoons is famed for its variety of thin-crust pizzas, so when I saw the new Christmas-themed pizza, I was keen to give it a whirl. The combination of brie cheese with chicken, bacon and stuffing sounds delightful; however, it didn’t quite hit the mark.
I was expecting a flavour burst from the stuffing, enhanced by the meaty and juicy chicken and bacon pieces, but this was all overshadowed by the cheese and rocket topping.
The pizza was rather bland, which was a huge letdown, as in theory, the ingredients should work well together. Maybe there needed to be more toppings on the pizza for it to truly shine, but unfortunately, this wasn’t the case.
5. The Big Cheese Beef Burger – £10.89
My cousin decided to try the big cheese beef burger. When we discussed how to rank our meals, she insisted that this burger should be placed at number five, as she found it far from enjoyable.
She described it as excessively dry, and the ‘Emmental and Cheddar cheese’ sauce (which bore a striking similarity to a Béchamel sauce) didn’t tickle her taste buds, prompting her to order an extra barbecue sauce to makeup for it.
The burger also scored low on the list, and it appeared the least festive among all the dishes. However, she did enjoy the halloumi fries and the steak-cut chips.
4. Buttermilk chicken and stuffing burger – £10.89
For my main course, I opted for the Buttermilk chicken and stuffing burger. This burger was incredibly dry.
It came with a side of cranberry sauce, which wasn’t enough to moisten the large, bland, and crispy breaded chicken.
I ended up spending an additional 99p for some extra gravy, but this didn’t enhance the meal significantly. Inside the burger, there was a large stuffing patty, a few strips of bacon, a tomato, a handful of lettuce, and onions.
The highlight of the meal was the pigs in blankets on top (you can never go wrong with those) and the chips. I think if you’re a fan of pork, sage and onion stuffing, then you might find this burger more appealing than I did, as I prefer stuffing without pork.
3. Giant profiterole – £5.58
Wetherspoons’ festive fare is currently offering just two sweet treats: a mammoth profiterole and a cookies and cream Blondie served with ice cream.
The profiterole was a delight, bursting with a juicy strawberry and smothered in a rich chocolate sauce. The pastry was airy and soft, making it a breeze to spoon through.
My only niggle was the slightly excessive cream filling, but for die-hard profiterole fans, this might not be a bother. A side of toffee sauce elevated this dessert to another level.
2. Sliced turkey breast and winter vegetables – £13.99
Coming in second was the turkey roast dinner, so mouth-watering that my brother couldn’t help but smack his lips throughout.
This hearty plate boasted slices of turkey breast, pork, sage and onion stuffing, carrots, garden peas, parsnips, mashed potatoes, pigs in blankets, cranberry sauce, and gravy.
The mash was hailed as the hero of the dish, thanks to its silky smoothness. The parsnips were steamed just right, and the carrots had a lovely roasted finish.
His only quibble was the slightly underdone peas. He savoured the gravy, picking up on a subtle sweetness.
In under 10 minutes, he’d wiped his plate clean, grinning from ear to ear.
1. Cookies and cream blondie – £5.58
The star of the show, and my top pick, has to be the indulgent Cookies and Cream Blondie.
Even if sugary treats aren’t your thing, this pudding is absolutely extraordinary. It turned up beautifully heated, served alongside a generous dollop of smooth vanilla ice cream that perfectly complemented the white chocolate brownie and biscuit chunks.
The texture was gloriously gooey yet satisfyingly crunchy, with every single bite proving utterly divine. The moment we tucked in, we couldn’t help but gasp: “Wow.”
We then fell into stunned silence, savouring this slice of pure bliss we’d just encountered. 10/10.
