Pub chain Wetherspoon has been told its gut-busting Christmas menu is hard to stomach.

Some of the festive food offerings pack in a day’s worth of calories.

Campaigners accused the firm – which has around 1,000 branches – of a “reckless” attitude to the obesity epidemic.

It comes days after Diabetes UK warned that 13million Brits are severely overweight.

The Daily Star Sunday found a series of calorific choices on sale at Wetherspoon pubs in a deal that includes a main and a drink.

The buttermilk chicken and stuffing burger contains buttermilk chicken breast and maple-cured bacon, with a pork, apricot and cranberry stuffing and cranberry sauce. Topped with two pigs in blankets and served with chips, it racks up 1,641 calories.

Choose a 250cal pint of Kronenbourg in the deal and round it off with a 584cal melty mallow stack dessert, and the total calorie count comes in at a hefty 2,475.

Vegetarian options are also under fire but there was praise for a mushroom risotto dish containing just 470 calories.

Public Health England recommends adults consume no more than 1,600 calories a day, or 400 for breakfast and 600 for lunch and dinner.

According to recent figures two thirds of UK adults are either overweight or obese.

There are around 200,000 new diagnoses of type 2 diabetes in England every year.

And being overweight is the second biggest cause of cancer after smoking, according to Cancer Research UK.

Paul Evans, of the British Obesity Society, said of the festive meals: “These findings represent a reckless disregard for the health of Wetherspoon’s customers.

“People are being led into obesity by these irresponsible meal deals.”

Clare Thornton-Wood, of the British Dietetic Association, said: “It is good to see one option under 600 calories. However, a mushroom
risotto may not appeal to all. Otherwise the options are generally very high in fat, calories and sugar and likely to lead to weight gain.”

Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “Customers can clearly see the number of calories on their meal of choice.

“We leave it up to our customers to make their own decisions on what they wish to eat.”

Elsewhere, Frankie & Benny’s launched the first vegan-focused Christmas menu. Every course will have at least one vegan option.

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