A Belsize Park fundraiser has made mincemeat of his £1,000 charity goal by eating nothing but mince pies until Christmas.

Ham & High: Padraig 'Pod' Howard and a mince pie, during his odyssey of eating just the festive baked goods between December 1 and Christmas Day this year. Picture: Pod HowardPadraig 'Pod' Howard and a mince pie, during his odyssey of eating just the festive baked goods between December 1 and Christmas Day this year. Picture: Pod Howard (Image: Archant)

A Belsize Park fundraiser has made mincemeat of his £1,000 charity goal by eating nothing but mince pies until Christmas.

Padraig Howard, known to his friends as Pod, has lost 11lb despite eating 181 of the baked festive favourites since December 1, and will finish his challenge on Christmas Day. He is raising money for homeless charity Crisis.

It all started last year, when friends of the 27-year-old noticed how much of an mince pie obsessive he is.

“They said I always seemed to have a mince pie in my hand, and we totted how much I’d eaten and it came to around 60 – which I don’t think is that many.

“It then came around to this year and I decided to go for it, and Crisis are particularly important at this time of year.

“We’ve seen a lot of homeless people and rough sleepers in the last few years, and it does a lot of great work with them.”

Pod is no stranger to fundraisers, having raised cash for Muscular Dystrophy and Keen London in the past.

So far the challenge is going “surprisingly well”, he says. However he has moved away from three square meals of mince pies a day to snacking whenever he feels like it.

In the process he has become something of an expert. He says cheaper brands tend to be more sugary, whereas more expensive bakes leave him feeling better. His favourite is from central London bakery Konditor and Cook.

Before taking on the task, he also spoke to doctors to make sure was able to take on the sharp increase in sugar.

“They told me to take supplements to make sure I would be able to take the increased amount of glucose, and would still get enough vitamins.”

The clock is counting down until he can eat normal food again – and Pod’s concerned.

“I’m worried that I might throw up my Christmas dinner,” he admitted. “The doctors have told me to eat very slowly, as my body will be adapting.”

After his deluge of mince pies, he’s not sure if he’ll be scarred for life. “I could see them next year and think ‘never again’,” he said.

You can support Pod’s festive fundraising here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/superpiesme