Nettle eaters vie for title of world champion

Participants strip leaves from the stalks before eating them

Contestants are gathering in Dorset in the hope of being crowned a world champion - by eating stinging nettles.

The World Nettle Eating Championships are being held at the Dorset Nectar Cider Farm in Waytown, near Bridport.

Foolhardy participants have 30 minutes to eat as many leaves as possible before the empty stalks are counted.

They are given cider to help wash down the nettles and relieve the pain.

Contestants suffer nettle stings on their hands and in their mouths

Reigning women's champion Bethan Hodges will be travelling from Wales to defend her title.

She had been on a camping holiday with friends when she entered and won last year's contest, consuming an eye-watering 60ft (18.2m) of nettles.

She said: "I still had little bits of stingy nettle in my fingers for a few days afterwards - that was the most lasting injury.

"My tongue recovered quite quickly but it was very green afterwards."

Also returning this year is Rob Casey, who said: "Who doesn't like a free lunch?

"The sting is on the hairs inside the nettles so if you can fold it up, that helps.

"Also dipping the nettles in cider moistens them because the dryness is also quite painful. It minimises the pain but it does still hurt."

The stalks are cut into 2ft (61cm) lengths and counted at the end

Formerly held at the Bottle Inn at Marshwood, which has since closed, the tradition dating back to the 1980s has been taken over by Ryan Strong at the nearby Dorset Nectar Cider Farm.

He said: "We wanted to bring it back and make sure it wasn't lost.

"Last year we cut something ridiculous like about 2,000ft-worth of nettle, in 2ft lengths and measure them specifically.

"Some people take one end of the nettle stem and just pull all the leaves off in one go so it's stinging their hand to bits. It's a mind-over-matter thing."