Man Vs Sandwich! Slim diner consumes 8,000-calorie challenge in just 36 minutes and even manages chips on the side

Gigantwich: The giant sandwich is built around six thick slices of bread and is crowned with three extra large onion rings. On the side, there is a large portion of chips and a huge pile of coleslaw

Conquered: James Brettell, 26, with his empty plate after finishing the huge meal in 36 minutes. It contains 8,000 calories - more than three times the recommended daily allowance for men

A slim diner managed to consume an 8,000-calorie sandwich weighing almost half a stone in just 36 minutes.

James Brettell, 26, became the first person to finish the 'Gigantwich' in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, which comes complete with a huge side-portion of chips and a large dollop of coleslaw.

A UK strongman and competitive eaters are among 116 people who have all previously failed at eating the giant meal in the allotted 45-minute time limit.


The sandwich, which is the size of a small baby, is more than three times the recommended 2,500 calories a day allowance for an adult man.

The chartered surveyor, who works in London, won a special 'Gigantwich' t-shirt and £116 of contributions from everyone who has failed to finish the meal at Mangetout Bistro.

The huge sandwich contains sausage, bacon, ham, beef, turkey, lamb, a steak burger, pulled bbq pork, hash browns, various cheeses, stuffing, a cheese omelette, tomatoes, cucumber, salad, mayo, BBQ sauce, mustard and onion rings.

The fillings are sandwiched between six thick slices of bread with chips and coleslaw on the side.

It weighs 5.5lbs and costs diners £17.95 if not completed within the 45-minute challenge time.

James finished the final few mouthfuls as the Eye of the Tiger song from the film Rocky III played in the background.

Huge meal: James finished the meal in 36 minutes - well inside the 45-minute time limit set by the restaurant in Southend-on-Sea, Essex

Giant meal: James Brettell is the first person to finish the 8,000 calorie meal which a UK strongman and competitive eaters have failed to finish

He said: 'I saw a picture of the sandwich on Facebook and it was the size of a baby. 'I just thought "I've got to get me some of this".

'I've always been pretty trim but recently I've been training hard at the gym and only eating one or two big meals in the evenings.

'I was still surprised I managed to eat it all - my mates can't believe it.'

James, from Hadleigh, Essex, added that he was feeling very unwell when he finally finished the meal on Saturday.

He said: 'By the end it gets quite hard to stomach each mouthful without feeling sick.

'I think the owner could see I was flagging so he started playing "Eye of the Tiger" through the restaurant speakers to keep me going.

'It really did the trick and helped me get through the wall and complete it.'

Restaurant owner Will Fishenden said they had been offering the sandwich challenge for over a year - but no one had completed it before.

'It came about from my love of Man vs Food and we thought we needed to produce our own challenge,' he said.

'I was amazed when James managed to finish it all as we have had a lot of much bigger guys than him come in and fail.

'We have had 117 attempts and only one success - James is truly a lean, mean, eating machine.'

The sandwich has now been given an extra layer as the eating challenge is taken to the next level.