Whitehaven Wetherspoons goes above and beyond for one nuggets fan

Jamie is 19 and was diagnosed with autism aged 7. Like many other autistic people, Jamie's sensory issues can lead to a restricted diet as well as having ARFID, Avoidant or Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, which is also common in the autism community.

Jamie and their mother, Lorraine Young, started taking trips to Wetherspoons every week as Jamie liked the nuggets and it was the only place the pair could eat outside of the house.

Lorraine said: "We felt comfortable there and were welcomed by the staff from the start.

"Jamie would have violent meltdowns when they were younger but the staff have always been wonderful with us and never judgmental."

Read more:Why Nestlé believes in investing in apprenticeships

Over the years, Lorraine and Jamie started going more because it was a great way to get Jamie out of the house.

Jamie also has a physical disability called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome which means their joints are very bendy; they struggle to walk and use a wheelchair often. Wetherspoons has always been extremely accessible for this, the family said. 

Jamie was very happy to be back at Wetherspoons (Image: Newsquest)

Sometimes, in busy periods like school holidays, Wetherspoons would run out of nuggets so knowing the days Jamie visits, the establishment would contact Lorraine.

When this happened, they would add a different type of nuggets to the menu which Jamie did try but could not eat - they smelled different, tasted different and had a different texture.

That is when Wetherspoons started to keep a bag of what Lorraine and Jamie like to call 'Jamie's special nuggets' to the side.

The nuggets' supplier and ingredients changed as the menu developed. Wetherspoons kept all of their old nuggets to one side for Jamie until they ran out, which they eventually did.

Lorraine said: "Jamie was really upset when the nuggets were discontinued but also understood and they were very happy with the offer of trying the other chicken dishes on the menu.

"Unfortunately, they couldn't physically bring themselves to try anything other than the chicken breast on the children's menu which they didn't like.

Read more:McDonald's is offering free hot drinks with exclusive deals

"This then meant that Jamie was no longer leaving the house as the only place they went was 'Spoons. We did manage to get Jamie to eat McDonalds nuggets but because it is always so busy we could any ever go to the drive-through."

Lorraine made a video over 11 months ago on Tiktok explaining the situation - and received a message recently from Whitehaven Wetherspoons to say that the nuggets would be back because of that video.

Lorraine said: "We went straight to Wetherspoons the next three days in a row.

"I can even see a difference in Jamie's mental health since the message. They want to go out again and it's just amazing to see them like this again.

"When we went back it was like nothing had changed! There was some new staff but the ones we had known from before all came over to say hello and told us how much they had missed seeing Jamie.

"It was just lovely. I'm sure we will get to know the new members of staff and they will be as amazing as the rest of them."