World-famous eating competition returns to Dorset
More people than ever will take part in the World Nettle Eating Championship on Dorset Nectar Farm
Last updated 26th Jun 2023
Dorset’s quirky competitive eating contest is back… Yes, the World Nettle Eating Championships returns to Dorset's Nectar Cider Farm today.
More people than ever have signed up for mouth-numbing, finger-tingling torture that even got 80s Rockstar Shaun Ryder to call “wild.”
Event organiser and former competitor, Ryan Strong said: “It’s an event you can tell your grandkids about, do you know I ate stinging nettles on purpose… by choice,” he chuckled, “I think more people should be open to it, rather than scared about it.”
On an episode of Uncensored, Pires Morgan said: “It’s a fantastic example of Great British eccentricity,” but that was after he called participants “lunatics.”
He added: “The fact we have people mad enough to eat 50 feet of stinging nettles makes me proud to be British.”
The record for a one hour sitting actually stands at 103 feet. Mr Strong, who witnessed the feat, called it “a mind over matter situation as the whole competition is.”
He then described what it tastes like: “It's not exactly something I’d recommend for light snack, but they taste kind of spicy and a bit like spinach.”
The tradition began in 1986 when two famers argued about who had longer stinging nettles in their field.
In 2020, the future of the quirky competition was put in jeopardy after the Bottle Inn, in Marshwood closed. Mr Strong “hated the idea of the tradition being lost” so started it up himself.
Dorset Nectar Cider Farm on Pineapple Lane in Waytown took up the reins in 2022 and hosted the event for the first time.
Now, the ‘world-famous’ eating contest has quite a cult following with participants travelling from all over the UK to get involved.
Ryan Strong said: “I think people really enjoy it and why the hell not? Let’s get together, eat some nettles and drink some cider.”