I visited a Birmingham Wetherspoons for Christmas dinner and someone else ate it

I had no idea how a turkey dinner review at Wetherspoons would go. It’s a popular chain which brings in plenty of happy characters - but I was hoping to avoid a fight.

Last year, Nathan had the honour of reviewing the Wetherspoons Christmas dinner and a particular memory was off the plate. Seeing a man dragged out by his collar and aimlessly throwing punches, this incident is not the best representation of the Birmingham holiday spirit.

In the hope of finding festive joy, I managed to narrow it down to two options. I could revisit the Square Peg and potentially walk into a world of drama, or I could pop into the Briar Rose - a pub I once awarded for having the best Spoons toilets.

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Ultimately, I settled for the Briar Rose as a previous food review memory popped into my head to help sway the vote. With good food (and great toilets), I felt guaranteed to have a good time as I approached the bustling pub on a weekday evening.

The good time had yet to start. I held the door open for a group that didn’t say 'thank you' and was elbowed by someone more interested in a drink than developing manners.

Across the room, empty tables were scarce and hard to find. I noticed that couples were gathering in the corner waiting for an empty table like hyenas anticipating dinner. It didn’t help that the pub’s lighting cast them into shadowy figures, adding to the visual. Whilst they were lurking, I nabbed a seat to avoid a problem.

Not a problem were the prices either. I’m used to paying over £6 for Guinness in Birmingham, but at Spoons a pint of the black stuff costs £4.03. As I browsed the Christmas menu, the best course of action was to use the Wetherspoons app instead of going to the bar. With no other tables free, and the hyenas in eyeshot, I feared how a review would work if I had to eat a Christmas dinner standing up.

I went for the classic Christmas combination of a turkey dinner and a cold pint. The dinner included vegetables, potatoes, stuffing, pigs in blankets, cranberry sauce and gravy. The combo cost only £13.52 which I thought was a cracker of a value. After less than ten minutes of ordering, my meal arrived and I was ready to eat with a new friend.

Because as I was waiting, a retired pensioner named John asked if he could sit down at my table. When I accepted, his face was in a state of surprise. He said that most of the time, people often said no when he asked in the past. I had no reason to be a Scrooge when a turkey dinner and a pint were on the way.

As my Christmas dinner was presented to me on the iconic Wetherspoons plate, John chipped in with his own review. “It looks lovely. Nice and ordinary. Reminds me of a Sunday roast.”

For me, the cranberry sauce and stuffing were the stars of the show, the sauce especially providing a moreish dip. The turkey and vegetables were fine, nothing spectacular. Although the turkey was doused in gravy, I still felt it was lacking a bit in flavour. But for both the price and portion size, I could have no complaints.

At this point, this usually would have been the time when I would go into more detail about my meal but something was bothering me. After speaking to him, I could tell that John probably needed this meal more than I would. After I offered him my plate, he revealed that he hadn't eaten all day. As he nibbled away, John had no complaints, adding that it was 'a very nice traditional meal'.

In between bites, we talked about life with John's own straight out of a movie. Originally from London, he has lived around the world, including a spell working in Salt Lake City, Utah. After the end of each story, John kept apologising as he felt I was bothering him but it couldn’t have been further from the truth. He made my experience better, and in return, I bought him a well-deserved lager and exchanged contact details.

This year is a memorable time for many who feel the Christmas spirit. But for some, it can be particularly lonely. The next time you’re seated and someone asks if they can join you, give it a chance. You might just have your favourite meal of the week.