Wigan Kebab fails to impress Rio Ferdinand

Rio Ferdinand has risked incurring the wrath of local foodies with his thoughts on the famous Wigan Kebab.

The ex-footballer and TV pundit has taken part in a unique food experiment that sees the superstar sportsman sitting in the hot seat and taking on the nation’s food fails. Commissioned by Peperami, the challenge follows a recent survey where one in four Brits believe British food is boring.

The new film, dubbed ‘Ban the Bland’, sees Rio trying various snacks made famous in Britain, such as the Wigan kebab and jellied eels.

Sadly, the former Man Utd star was underwhelmed by the town’s famous pie barm, saying he would “100 per cent say no” if he was offered one.

After inexplicably removing one slice of bread before taking a bite, Rio said: “That ain’t a snack.

“If someone said to me ‘do you want a Wigan Kebab?’ I would 100 per cent say no.”

He also took issue with the meal being dry and being left covered in pastry crumbs.

However, it wasn’t Rio’s least favourite meal of the day. That honour went to a pot of jellied eels, which the ex-international refused to even try.

Other snacks offered to him included a crisp sandwich and an instant noodle sandwich, both of which he called “boring” and “horrendous.”

Rio offered a solution to bland snacks, with his very own edible ‘Snackadium’ to be tucked into during a summer of sport, which will include the delayed Olympics and Euro 2020.

Speaking about the Ban The Bland campaign, Rio said: “As a nation, we’ve got a bit of a reputation for our food being bland and boring.

“So, when Peperami asked me to get involved in the campaign, my competitive nature came out and I jumped at the chance to take part, eager to show people how we can do it better.

““As part of the experiment, the crew had me try some of the nation’s food fails – which I was dreading!

“I wanted to see if some of the strange combinations could be wonderful, but on the day, they were just plain awful!

“Being an ex-footballer, the crew had me trying foods famous at matches – such as a “Wigan kebab” and jellied eels, which weren’t for me.

“My favourite part of the day was creating my snack solution – ‘The Snackadium’ – an edible football pitch perfect to tuck into when watching the Euros.

“The Peperami team gave me the power to go nuts and produce something really cool, that I can’t wait to bring out when watching games with Kate and the kids.”

He went on to reveal his own eating habits, saying: “When you’re playing football, it’s really important to keep up your energy levels throughout the match, so high-carb meals such as pasta and chicken were always my go to before a game.”

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