I'm the World Pie Eating Champion - my parents always did tell me to stop inhaling my food!
A self-confessed 'fast eater' has been crowned the World Pie Eating Champion.
Tom O'Neill, 24, devoured a meat and potato pie in one minute and 26 seconds to claim the title at the annual contest in Wigan, Gtr Manchester. The competitor, a care worker from Blackpool, said after lifting the trophy: "The pie was quite thick - but it went down in the end, and that's all that matters!
He added: "I've taken part in pie eating competitions before, so I wanted to give this a try. Whenever there's anything to do with speed eating, I'll put my name forward."
This year's pies were supplied by Galloways Bakers in Wigan, Gtr Manchester. They have to be cooked to strict regulation standards - a diameter of 12cm, a depth of 3.5cm and a pie wall angle from base to top of between zero and 15 degrees.
Tom is no stranger when it comes to fast food feats, adding: "About two years ago, I ate a pie in just under 20 seconds for a local competition. I've always been a fast eater - my parents would always tell me to stop inhaling my food."
This year's championships were held under heightened security after Tony Callaghan, owner of Harry's Bar in Wigan, Gtr Manchester, was tipped off about suspected foul play. Extra security staff were drafted in after a warning that one competitor was planning to cheat by smuggling a B&Q funnel in an anorak to divert pie spillage into the front of his trousers.
In last year's competition, builder Michael Chant was crowned world champion after demolishing a pie in just 17 seconds. The competition has been held annually in Wigan - where locals are known as 'pie eaters' - since 1992.
Some say the nickname comes from local miners "eating humble pie" after going back to work during the general strike of 1926. The event was postponed in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid regulations when the government refused to make the same allowances as it did for professional sport.