Articles by Mia O'Hare,Shania King-Soyza

Technology

I tried 6 dishes from Wetherspoons' Christmas menu and one was simply amazing

As the festive season approaches, eateries and pubs are rolling out their Christmas menus for food enthusiasts to sample. Just last week, the well-known pub chain Wetherspoons unveiled its latest festive menu, boasting a variety of unique dishes alongside the traditional roast dinner. On a brisk Sunday afternoon, my family and I ventured to the pub to sample the majority of the offerings. We shelled out approximately £65 on six dishes, which included two distinct burgers, a pizza, the roast dinner, and a pair of desserts. Below, I've ranked the Wetherspoons meals. Discover which dish left us all gobsmacked and craving more. Wetherspoons is renowned for its assortment of thin-crust pizzas, so when I spotted the new Christmas-themed pizza, I was eager to give it a go. The fusion of brie cheese with chicken, bacon and stuffing sounded phenomenal; however, it fell short of expectations, reports the Express . I anticipated an explosion of flavour from the stuffing, complemented by the succulent chicken and bacon chunks, but this was entirely overshadowed by the cheese and rocket topping. The pizza was rather tasteless, which was incredibly disappointing, as theoretically, the ingredients should harmonise. Perhaps there needed to be a greater quantity of toppings on the pizza for it to truly stand out, but sadly, this wasn't the case. My cousin opted for the big cheese beef burger. When we deliberated over the ranking of the meals, she requested that I place this burger at number five, as she didn't find it enjoyable in the slightest. She expressed that it was overly dry, and the 'Emmental & Cheddar cheese' sauce (which reminded her of a Béchamel sauce) wasn't to her liking, leading her to order an additional barbecue sauce to compensate. The burger also ranked relatively low, appearing the least festive among all the dishes. However, she did appreciate the halloumi fries and the steak-cut chips. My main course was the Buttermilk chicken and stuffing burger. This burger was extremely dry. It was accompanied by a side of cranberry sauce, which was insufficient for the large, tasteless, and crispy breaded chicken. I ended up shelling out 99p for some extra gravy, but this didn't improve things much. Inside the burger, there was a large stuffing patty, a few slices of bacon, a tomato, a few strands 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 believe if you're a fan of pork, sage and onion stuffing, then you might find this burger more enjoyable than I did, as I prefer stuffing without pork. Wetherspoons' Christmas menu currently only features two desserts: the giant profiterole and a cookies and cream Blondie with ice cream. The profiterole was pleasant and refreshing. It came with a ripe strawberry and a delightful chocolate sauce. The pastry was light and fluffy, making it easy to slice through with a spoon. My only gripe was the excessive amount of cream, but for profiterole enthusiasts, this might not be an issue. The dessert was made even more delectable with a pot of toffee sauce. The runner-up is the turkey roast dinner, which was so tasty that my brother found himself licking his lips throughout the meal. The dish included several slices of turkey breast, pork, sage and onion stuffing, carrots, garden peas, parsnips, mashed potatoes, pigs in blankets, cranberry sauce, and gravy. According to my brother, the mash was the highlight of the dish due to its incredibly smooth and creamy texture. The parsnips were steamed to perfection, and the carrots were beautifully roasted. His only criticism was that the peas were slightly undercooked. He enjoyed the gravy, noting its slightly sweet taste. In less than 10 minutes, he had polished off his plate with a grin. The standout dish of the entire experience, and the one I highly recommend, is the gooey and indulgent Cookies and Cream Blondie. Even if you're not a fan of sweets, this dessert is phenomenal. It arrived perfectly warm, accompanied by a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream to balance out the white chocolate brownie and cookie pieces. It proved gooey, crunchy, and utterly delicious with every mouthful. The moment we tasted it, we collectively gasped: "Wow." A brief pause followed as we savoured what can only be described as a slice of heaven. 10/10.