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Man Eats 18 Pies In 43 Minutes During Humongous Eating Challenge

Man Eats 18 Pies In 43 Minutes During Humongous Eating Challenge

Kneel before him, people of Wigan

Tom Wood

Tom Wood

Think you've got an appetite for pies? Well, whatever you think about the size of your stomach when it comes to pastry chomping, the likelihood is that it isn't as large as that of Max Stanford.

Max - known as Max vs Food online - recently managed took on a pie and mash challenge and scoffed down 18 pies, as well as seven large helpings of mash and liquor, all in less than 45 minutes.

Yes, under an hour to defeat this 8,000 calorie beast.

Max Stanford

He took on the challenge at Peckham's traditional pie and mash favourite Manze and successfully consumed a five kilogram plate that was 'the size of a toddler' in just three quarters of an hour.

Max later spoke to LADbible about his love of competitive eating, and told us why on earth you'd decide to get into such a strange pursuit.

First off, he explained the challenge.

"I ate 18 traditional beef pies and seven portions of mash and liquor weighting a total of 5kg/11lb from Manze's Pie and Mash shop in Peckham, which I finished in 43 minutes.

"It was definitely one of the hardest and biggest food challenges I have ever done."

Max Stanford

He continued: "I started out doing local food challenges as 'cheat meals' to help put on muscle in the gym and it just spiralled from there, when one challenge I beat resulted in me entering into a food eating competition with professional eaters.

"Whilst I didn't win, I got the competitive eating bug."

Now Max plans to climb the ladder of professional scranning, hoping that he can compete in the newly formed British Eating League.

He explained: "I'm really just starting out as an amateur competitive eater, and from August have been entering competitions as part of the British Eating League.

"A lot of the challenges have been things like Yorkshire pudding eating contest, burgers or pizzas, but I'm born and bred in south London and wanted to do a traditional London food challenge.

"I could think of nothing better than pie, mash and liquor!

"I've always gone to the Manze's pie and mash shop throughout my childhood with my dad."

Max Stanford

"At the moment I'm just really enjoying doing food competitions and restaurant challenges - the competitive eating community is really friendly and I get to meet loads of great people.

"I don't want to be a professional - I have a day job working for a charity - but I'd love to be able to have a good enough following that I can do the challenges and also show the other side of it all.

"Firstly, that you can do food challenges and have cheat meals as part of a healthy lifestyle, as long as you also eat healthy all the rest of the time and focus on staying fit."

Max Stanford

"Secondly, that there are people less fortunate than us and food poverty is a really big issue. That's why I donate any profits I make to charity."

This sort of eating - as Max rightly points out - is only sustainable if you're willing to put the hours in at the gym.

In that respect, Max is no different to many others who tackle these challenges. Seriously, look at most competitive eaters - there's hardly an ounce of fat on them.

He explained: "I train really hard both in terms of fitness: I run at least 6km a day, always hit over 10k steps and go to the gym and lift weights for an hour or more most days - I'm also an avid cyclist and triathlete - in lockdown with gyms closed I trained and ran my first marathon in 3hours 38mins.

It's important to prepare the stomach for these challenges, too.

Max Stanford

Max said: "Daily, I usually eat one large meal consisting of mainly veg. In prep for a large food challenge, 24-36 hours before I will have a 'max out' meal with loads of fruit and veg and then not eat until the challenge.

"I also only eat after the challenge when I am hungry again."

There you go folks, as Dr Hibbert once said in The Simpsons: "I feel a balanced diet can include the occasional eating contest."

Featured Image Credit: Max Stanford

Topics: Food, UK News, Daily Ladness, Interesting, Weird, London