BARRY is known for many things including beautiful beaches, a famous TV show, being the place where the heaviest cucumber in the world was grown…, and now, beautiful Barry holds the crown of home to the two time nettle eating champion of the woooorrrrllllllldddd!

Ok, maybe not the world, but there aren’t many nettle eating competitions about and even less people who have defended their nettle eating crown, however that is exactly what a resident of Barry Island did.

Recently, Beth Hodges, 34, returned to the site of her famous triumph at Dorset Nectar Cider Farm, and successfully defended her crown as nettle eating champion, eating an incredible 64ft’s worth of nettles – some four foot more than she did in 2023.

First thing we had to ask Samaritan Cymru worker Ms Hodges is, does it hurt? She explained your hands get stung more than your mouth actually eating the nettles.

Apparently, there’s two main tactics you can use entering a nettle eating competition. You either pick the nettles off individually, or you don’t mess around and get your hands round the plant and drag down pulling all the nettles off in one swift motion (a tactic chosen by Ms Hodges).

Beth ate 64 feet's worth of nettlesBeth ate 64 feet's worth of nettles (Image: Beth Hodges)

Hands of steel!! Watch below as Barry’s Beth Hodges drags nettle leaves off stem ready to eat!

I suppose the second question is, how to you get into nettle eating competitions?

Ms Hodges explained: “I just thought it would be fun and it’s something I cannot do anywhere else.”

And did she train for the event? Did she know she had special talents in nettle eating?

“I was amazed at how good I was at eating nettles,” said Ms Hodges, “there was no prior training involved.”

If you’ve got an idea in your mind of hot dog eating championships where they dip the dogs in water and swallow them whole, nettle eating comps are slightly different.

Nettles are highly fibrous and take a while to chew – so there’s a lot of chomping going on – but instead of water you do get a glass of ice-cold cider to support you in your quest – many dip the nettles in the cider to make them more tasty to chew.

Beth says you tend to sting your hand more than your mouthBeth says you tend to sting your hand more than your mouth (Image: Beth Hodges)

Beth with her trophy, which she defendedBeth with her trophy, which she defended (Image: Supplied)

It’s not uncommon to eat nettles, and even drink them. There’s the famous nettle soup. You can also make tea out of nettles, and wine!   

BBC’s Good Food Guide says nettles are; “high in vitamin K, which is important for healthy blood clotting. They are also a good source of vitamin A, calcium and magnesium, which help support healthy skin and bones, and help maintain a healthy immune system.”

Well, that’s even more reason for Beth to defend her crown – which she aims to do!

Got a story in Barry? Email harry.jamshidian@newsquest.co.uk.