It might sound a bit bizarre, but one of the most viral phenomenons on the internet right now is a Facebook dedicated to Wetherspoons chips.
Or rather, to counting the amount of chips you get in a portion at Wetherspoons.
Boasting nearly 40,000 active members, the brilliantly-named Wetherspoons Paltry Chip Count is a public Facebook group that brings together people from right across the country to share in the clearly-popular common activity of counting the amount of chips that the restaurant chain sticks on its characteristic blue floral plates and dishes out to customers.
It may have been set up well over a year ago now, but it’s safe to say that the group’s taken off like never before over the past few weeks, with hundreds of people sharing snaps of their recent meals.
As you’d probably expect, outrage at portion sizes accompanies a good majority of the photos.
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A quick scroll down the group’s feed and you’ll find that a guy called Sam got a not-too-shabby 30 chips alongside his buttermilk chicken burger, adding that while “some of them were small though and didn’t count as chips” in his eyes, he still reckons that it wasn’t “too bad” overall.
Wetherspoons Paltry Chip Count boasts nearly 40,000 active members / Credit: Facebook (Wetherspoons Paltry Chip Count)
Others weren’t so lucky though, as a lad called Adam only got served just 12 chips with his burger, which one fellow group member said was “unthinkable scenes”.
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One woman shared a similarly poor showing, being served just 14 chips alongside her panini.
Being the subject of viral conversation isn’t exactly new territory for Wetherspoons though, as the chain has previously seen punters dedicate entire social media accounts to sharing the restaurants’ choice of wacky carpet, or rating the award-winning and quite frankly impressive bathrooms – but it seems that the Wetherspoons Paltry Chip Count could be the most invested people have been in quite a while though.
It’s even got some people taking actual tape measures to their nearest Wetherspoons to measure the width of portion sizes, and others making legitimate Excel spreadsheets of accumulating chip counts of the prior week.
Commenting on the rise of Wetherspoons Paltry Chip Count, Eddie Gershon – spokesperson for Wetherspoons – told LADbible: “A few years back Wetherspoon carpets were all the rage on Facebook, so it’s probably no surprise that someone has now started a chip account.
“All pubs should serve the same weight of chips, but the number of chips might vary depending on the size of chip.”
Fancy getting in on the action yourself? You can join Wetherspoons Paltry Chip Count here.
Featured Image – Wetherspoons Paltry Chip Count
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The cheapest Christmas Markets in the world for mulled wine have been revealed
Daisy Jackson
The most affordable Christmas Markets for drinking mulled wine have been revealed – and Manchester is nowhere in sight.
With Christmas markets across Europe preparing to welcome millions of visitors, festive fans looking to enjoy a warming cup of glühwein without breaking the bank might want to take note of the latest findings.
Festive experts at Christmas Tree World have analysed mulled wine prices at Christmas markets around the world to discover where visitors can enjoy the seasonal favourite for less.
Topping the rankings is Brussels’ Winter Wonders, where mulled wine is available for as little as £2.14 – about a third of the price of a mulled wine at the Manchester Christmas Markets.
Cologne Cathedral Christmas Markets and Strasbourg’s Christkindelsmärik share second place, with starting prices of just £2.56.
Other European favourites also feature prominently in the rankings. Budapest’s Christmas Market at the Basilica takes fourth place, with mulled wine costing £3.19, while Prague’s Old Town Square Christmas Market comes in sixth at £3.55.
Germany makes another strong appearance, with Dresden’s Striezelmarkt and Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt (which handily just launched new direct flights from Manchester) both offering mulled wine for £3.85.
Meanwhile, Vienna’s Christmas World rounds off the European entries in ninth place, with prices starting at £4.28.
For those planning a festive adventure further afield, Tokyo’s Christmas Market also makes the top five, with mulled wine costing £3.22.
However, not every destination offers such a bargain. Across the Atlantic, New York City’s Winter Village takes the title of the most expensive market in the study, with mulled wine costing a rather less festive £11.74. Chicago’s Christkindlmarket isn’t far behind, charging £8.80.
Manchester Christmas Markets start on Friday 6 November – we’ll see how our prices stack up then.
Sir Ian McKellen pays emotional tribute to long-time friend and fellow northern actor Sir Patrick Stewart
Emily Sergeant
Sir Ian McKellen has paid an emotional tribute to his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Patrick Stewart, following his death.
Sir Patrick Stewart – who was born and bred in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, and is best-known for his theatre work alongside an illustrious 60-year screen career, taking on prominent roles in franchises such as Star Trek and X-Men – sadly passed away at the age of 86, with his death being announced publicly yesterday evening (29 October).
And now, his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Ian McKellen, has paid tribute.
Sir Patrick and Sir Ian shared the stage together countless times over their decades-long careers, but also famously starred alongside each other in the X-Men franchise, and subsequent Marvel movies, as Charles Xavier/Professor X and Magneto.
The tribute, shared across Sir Ian’s social media platforms, reads: “Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.
“We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren’t in the same productions.
“My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in ‘Star Trek’. “But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”
“Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did, for not just his devoted Trekkies, but film and theatre audiences who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes (‘X-Men’ of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway.
“America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin.
“But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire.”
Emily Sergeant -
19th October 2021 
