Rules set for world championship nettle growers

9 hours ago

Entries for the tallest nettle must be grown within a 10-mile radius of the pub

Getty Images A man sitting at a table outside the Bottle Inn. He is pushing a handful of stinging nettle leaves in his mouth and pulling a pained expression. On the table in the foreground are two full pints of beer or cider. — Entries for the tallest nettle must be grown within a 10-mile radius of the pub

Details of a nettle growing contest that will run alongside this year's Stinging Nettle Eating World Championships have been announced.

The bizarre but popular nettle eating event is returning to the newly renovated Bottle Inn in Marshwood, Dorset, on 21 June, after a six-year break.

The hour-long competition involves eating the leaves from 2ft lengths of stinging nettles before the empty stalks are counted.

In addition to the competition to eat the most stinging nettles, the pub's owners are also reviving a competition to grow the tallest stinging nettle.

Tallest nettle entries must be grown within a 10-mile radius and delivered by 18:00 BST on Friday 20 June, with the winners announced after the nettle eating competition.

Tessa and Julian Blundy, who have been renovating the 16th-Century pub, said the eating contest would be restricted to 40 competitors, who must register to secure their place.

The Bottle Inn first hosted its nettle eating contest in 1986 and the tradition almost died out when the pub closed in 2019.

In 2022, it was revived by Dorset Nectar Cider Farm, which ran it for three years while the Bottle Inn was closed, but nettle growing was not part of the event.

In a post on their website, the Blundys said: "The nettle competitions weekend will also offer music, ale and cider, and food will be provided by outside catering vans."

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