One of the world’s most bizarre competitions returned over the weekend, after a three-year hiatus.
Men and women lined up to chew and make grimaces as they competed in the World Nettle Eating Championships.
The challenge for competitors was simple: eat as many 2 foot long nettles as possible in one hour.
So who came out on top?
Lindie Rogers won the 2022 women’s competition after throwing away 42 feet of stinging nettles in an impressive way.
While the two front-runners for the men’s challenge could not be separated and required a tie-breaker – with an individual named Niall taking first place.
This year, the event was held for the first time at Dorset Cider Nectar Farm in Waytown – as the bar that previously hosted the annual competition closed in 2020.
Ryan Strong, a partner at Dorset Cider Nectar Farm, said: ‘I really enjoyed visiting this event over the years and I came second in the competition when it was last held.
‘My chin stung for hours after that, but it was a great competition and a real community event.
‘It was a brilliant opportunity and also quite ridiculous to be honest, people who ate nettles voluntarily!
‘There were a lot of grimaces, fingers sticking out and black mouths, but it seemed to be enjoyed a lot nonetheless.
“People were watching eagerly all the time, which is amazing.
“It was great to bring it back.”
The origins of the unusual event go back to two farmers in the 1990s, who had a light-hearted competition over who could grow the longest stinging nettle.
The winning farmer produced a 15-foot-long nettle, which the loser had to eat.
An individual (quite aptly) named Philip Thorne holds the record for nettle-wise – after spotting a large 104-foot nettle plant in 2018.
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