A FAMILY-RUN cider farm has announced that it will be reviving the world-famous nettle eating competition.
The World Nettle Eating Competition was an annual tradition which took place every summer at The Bottle Inn, in Marshwood - attracting world-wide attention.
The Bottle Inn, a 16th century pub, has been closed and sitting empty since 2020 and the World Nettle Eating Competition has not taken place since the last competition in 2019.
However, Dorset Nectar Cider Farm, on Pineapple Lane, Waytown, has announced that it is offering to protect this public event, by hosting a similar Nettle Eating Contest this summer, on June 25, at its farm as a charity fundraiser.
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Ryan Strong of the Dorset Cider Nectar Farm said: "Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed visiting this event over the years. I loved the community spirit of it all. The most recent year that I participated I came second in the competition. My chin stung for hours afterwards, never mind my numb blackened tongue. It was a great competition.
"My brothers and I grew up in west Dorset, going to exciting festivals and events such as the Kite Festival at Eggardon, the Eat Dorset Food Festival at Parnham and even the Dorset Knob throwing competition and the Nettle Eating competition, none of which happen anymore.
"We don't want the area to lose another exciting event that has been so special for many Dorset residents. We look forward to reviving this 'mouth-tingling feast' and protecting this uniquely Dorset event from being lost.
"We'd like to invite all the previous volunteers who offered their time to help run the Nettle Eating Competition, for their suggestions and to please get in touch, so we can make this an excellent community event.
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"All are welcome, as well as all the previous winners, as competitors. It will be a community-run fundraiser, with profits going to a local charity."
The nettle eating competition dates back to the 1980s when two farmers contested as to who grew the longest stinging nettle. When the winning farmer produced a 15-foot long nettle, the loser had to eat all the leaves from his stalk.
From 1996, The Bottle Inn hosted the annual World Nettle Eating Championships as part of a charity beer festival. Competitors were served 2-foot (0.61 m) long stalks of stinging nettles from which they plucked and ate the leaves. After an hour the bare stalks were measured and the winner named was the competitor with the greatest accumulated length of nettles.
The aptly named Philip Thorne, from Colyton, Devon, in 2018, achieved the record for the most stinging nettles eaten during the competition - chomping an incredible 104ft of the plant.
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