Nettle eaters set for prickly Dorset contest as events returns

Contestants must have the stomach for the challenge as vomiting is not allowed

Dorset may have lost its famous knob-throwing contest, but this weekend it welcomes back the world championships of another bizarre pastime.

The World Nettle Eating Competition sees hopefuls try and chew their way through as many stinging nettles as they can in one hour.

The winner is the contestant who has stripped and eaten the leaves from the greatest number of stalks.

It will be the first competition since 2019 due to the Covid pandemic.

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

The county's knob extravaganza "reached such a size that it cannot be run by a small village committee"

Mr Strong said it was important the county did not lose any other festivals after the demise of the Dorset Knob-Throwing Contest which was axed as it became too popular.

The nettles, picked the day before from his organic cider farm, have to be eaten raw and there is "no mayonnaise, no ketchup or deep-frying".

"This is a competition of mind over matter, it is quintessential Dorset", Mr Strong said.

Contestants must also have the stomach for the challenge as vomiting is not allowed.

Cider-maker Mr Strong, who came second in 2019, said he had a "numb-blackened tongue" and his chin "stung for hours afterwards".

The contest has previously attracted entrants from as far afield as Australia and Canada.

Philip Thorne holds the current record, in 2018 he munched his way through 104ft (32m) of stinging nettles.

The Nettle Queen and Nettle King will each receive a cup and a crown for their painful efforts.

Saturday's charity fundraiser kicks off at 15:00 BST, with the nettle-eating contest from 16:30.