Cry for Nettle-Eating help in Devon

[Jared]

This is partially a post to advertise this crazy event, held next Saturday, 13th June at The Bottle in in Marshwood, Dorset:
The Bottle Inn

More importantly, does anyone on the forums know how to get in touch with the current world champion, Paul Collins, of Seaton, Devon. He is supposed to be tutoring a celebrity chef (I won't drop any names just yet) in the art of nettle eating, and he has gone incommunicado, leaving the production team in a bit of a kerfuffle.
EDIT: He is out of the country, charming,

Is there anybody on the forums who is an experienced raw nettle eater, and is currently in Devon? Has anyone taken part in the nettle eating world championships at the Bottle Inn before? Would you be available to tutor a celebrity chef in the fine art of raw nettle eating tomorrow? Andy? Dave? Bristol's not far from Devon. And I can guarantee you will enjoy meeting the Celebrity Chef.

[Millymollymandy]

Is it the same celeb chef who partook in a similar raw nettle eating competition in, I imagine, Dorset?

Aha having looked at map that's my mum's neck of the woods and I bet it was HFW!

[Millymollymandy]

OMG the Wurzels are playing live!

[Jared]

It's not Hugh, he's not as famous as Hugh, but you're not far off, I won't say any more as I don't want to get my friend in trouble. And yes, the Wurzels are playing. I'd be tempted to nip down but I've got tickets for Gardener's World Live that day. And Devon is a long way to go from Nottingham to eat nettles.

[PlayingWithFire]

OK - I got to ask, please how do I go about eating raw nettles, without problems?

Living inthe far north of Scotland there is no way I'm coming down to Devon or anyway south of Inverness, until the economy picks up. But this sort of gimmick seems right up my track.

A web link or tips would be great.

I should explain that I regularly use nettles as a vegetable, steamed for a few minutes, and I make fibre from the mature stems.

Good luck!

[Millymollymandy]

Jared will you tell us after the event who the chef was because I'm intrigued now. Anyway couldn't HFW give him some tips?

It's a shame cos my mum is over here now but I'd been over there I'd have loved to have gone as it's only about 10 mins from where she lives.

[PlayingWithFire]

I hope the chef is actually good at cooking - the word 'celebrity' is so tarnished and degraded nowadays, it means nothing.

Bon appetit

[Millymollymandy]

Well you never came back and told us but I saw it on the telly. It was James Wong, hardly a celebrity CHEF, he's an ethnobotanist and garden designer. OK so he cooks cough syrup and herbal remedies ...... anyway he did pretty well!

[Jared]

Hi, sorry, work got a bit manic these last couple of weeks, been meaning to come back and post.

I was after someone to help mentor a Canadian Celebrity Chef, Bob Blumer (The Surreal Gourmet), who was entering for his series Glutton for Punishment, but it was John Wright, the Fungi Expert from River Cottage, who was also going to help mentor him, that I thought people would be interested in having a chat with.

[Millymollymandy]

I don't know any Canadian chefs at all! It was fun to watch - did you actually go to the event?

[Jared]

unfortunately not, it was a bit far for me to go, would have been fun to watch though. I'll have to get my friend to send me a copy of the episode once it's been aired

[Millymollymandy]

Oh is this Canadian guy on British TV?

[Jared]

not that I know of, possibly on one of the sky channels I don't get,
I think John Wright from River Cottage is more of a celebrity, especially with the folk on this forum.