PRUE V. MAN. FOOD
Bake Off judge Leith blasts sausage-eating challenge
A man v food challenge which asks Scots to eat six feet of sausage in six minutes has been branded disgusting by Bake Off judge Prue Leith.
Contestants yesterday took part in Men V’s Food at the Great British Food Festival as it arrived for its first Scottish date in Kelso.
But legendary cook Prue said the controversial challenge, which continues today, was disrespectful to food producers. The judge on Channel 4’ sf lag ship show said :“Eating competitions are disgusting, disrespectful and tasteless in all senses of the word.
“It’s tasteless to stuff your face with food you don’t need when other people are hungry, disrespectful to farmers and producers who have taken time and effort to produce the food, and degrading to the people who watch it.
“It’s a kind of voyeuristic food porn.”
The challenge, held at Floors Castle, sees eaters asked to munch more than 74.5in of meat followed by a pint of cider in just over six minutes – to break the UK record.
Anyone who throws up within the six-minute, six- second deadline is disqualified. Festival organisers said no one had succeeded so far but its website boasts of “14 vomitors” to date in a similar chilli challenge food contest at the festival.
Other critics were appalled that people were being encouraged to binge on food for entertainment.
Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, warned: “Though there’s no evidence that they encourage obesity, there’s plenty of evidence that it’s moronic to engage in such activity and panders only to voyeurs.
“What appals me the most is how the genuinely hungry must view this criminal disrespect of food.”
Great British Food Festival organiser Daniel Maycock said: “It’s certainly not food porn. It’s just a fun man v food challenge. There are a lot bigger
issues in the world today to worry about and I think, if you survey the people, most would see it for what it is. It’s just a fun challenge.
“We’ve never had a complaint and we get big crowds who enjoy it.”
Maycock stressed that the £5 entry fee for the meat and chilli contests was donated to good causes.
He added: “We’ve raised about £ 2500 just from the meat competition alone for different charities. They’re very popular with entries and often draw crowds of hundreds of people.
“There’s no waste of sausages. Any sausages not eaten are given out. It’s just a good bit of fun and a fundraiser.”
The latest binge- eating contest to reach Scotland follows the return of controversial cult American TV series Man v Food to the UK on the Travel Channel earlier this year.
Pubs and cafes across the UK have also come under fire from health and food poverty groups for offering customers free meals if they can clear vast platefuls at speed.
Last month singer Pete Doherty got a big breakfast for free at a cafe in Margate, Kent, after getting through a feast including four eggs, four sausages, four bacon rashers, chips, hash browns, mushrooms, a burger, onion rings and two slices of thick bread in under 20 minutes.
A Floors Castle spokeswoman declined to comment on the criticism of the eating contest.