A pub is offering to fork out for cabs to hospital if punters have a heart attack while scoffing their 8,000-calorie sandwich - even vowing to chip in for headstones if they die. The George Pub & Grill, in County Durham, were advertising the gut-busting meal on the eve of the biggest NHS ambulance strike in 30 years.
The artery-clogging Parmo Kebab Sandwich, which costs £23.95, contains kebab meat stuffed between two 'parmos' - deep-fried chicken cutlets drenched in bechamel sauce and melted cheese. Restaurant owner Craig Harker quipped that he is sometimes left 'worried' when he sees customers sat having 'meat sweats' after attempting some of his dinners.
The belly-busting meal contains 8,000 calories - four times the recommended daily calorie intake of 2,000 calories for women. The pub, which boasts of 'serving up big, calorific meals' on its website, is owned by 'Dad Loves Food' blogger Craig who regularly shares snaps of enormous food challenges on social media.
Craig, from Hardwick, Stockton-on-Tees, said: "Over 100 have tried it and I think there's a handful of people who've managed it. The reason we put the free lift for the ambulance is because everyone looks like they're in an absolute food coma afterwards.
"Sometimes I'm worried about them when I see them sat there with the meat sweats and I think 'I need to pay to get these to hospital'. We have a couple of defibrillators on the high street as well so I'll see if I can get some of the staff trained on them.
"This is the biggest regular meal on the menu, it's more than 8,000 calories. It's deep-fried chicken, bechamel sauce, a lot of cheese and it's served with a double portion of fries. No-one's going hungry after that, they're probably not eating for a few days after."
The Facebook post reads: "PARMO KEBAB SANDWICH. Over 8,000 calories. If anyone has a heart attack while eating this then we will pay for a taxi to the hospital. If someone does pop their clogs then we'll chip in on the headstone. Dig in!"
The post was flooded with comments from people desperate to get their mitts on the monster meal, while others claimed they'd get indigestion from just attempting it.
But one concerned user claimed that taxi drivers weren't taking heart patients to hospital - after health minister Will Quince told the Commons that emergency vehicles would be used for the most urgent 999 calls, such as heart attacks and strokes.
The 35-year-old said he shared the colossal sarnie on social media after one punter ordered it, but failed to make a dent in it. Craig said: "I shared the Parmo Kebab Sandwich because someone ordered it the other night and failed miserably. I put a picture on there just to remind people we serve the biggest challenges in the country - the most calorific meals.
"On that one there, it's a sandwich but we've replaced the bread with fried chicken, the butter with bechamel sauce and cheese and we've stuffed it with kebab meat. I think it's more of a caveman thing - your eyes are bigger than your belly. A lot of men come in and want to take it on and the majority of them fail miserably."
