WATCH: Champion chompers take on mince pie challenge

Staff and students at City of Wolverhampton College faced off in a series of pie eating duels, with participants invited to scoff down three of the festive treats in a minute.

Students from the college's cookery courses prepared hundreds of the festive treats for the challenge, which took place in the Academy Restaurant at the Metro One Campus.

And while it may sound easy, stuffing down a pie treble proved to be an impossible task, with no competitor surpassing the two pie mark.

Some contestants bit off far more than they could chew, including student Stephanie Brothwood.

The 18-year-old struggled to get through half a pie before she leapt from her chair and made a bee-line for the toilet.

"I don't like mince pies. It was too much for me," she said.

Her classmate Nicole Large, also 18, fared better, managing a more respectable two pies.

Numerous pie eating techniques were on show, including drinking water before eating and attempting to eat an entire pie in one go.

Student support worker Katrina Taffs, aged 28, brought a different tactic to the table.

The 28-year-old broke each pie into small pieces and quaffed down two and a half by the time the buzzer sounded.

She said: "Eat the pastry first, then use the mince filling for lubrication. It was just something I came up with on the spot."

Bakery student Anatolijus Lipatovas was crowned mince pie prince, coming within a few seconds of polishing off three in a minute.

Lecturer Steve Bladen, who made his own unsuccessful bid for pie prestige, said the treats were all made to strictly governed rules.

He said: "We made sure each pie weighed 70g, so everyone had an equal challenge. We sell around 600 mince pies a week at this time of year, so the students are used to making them."

Contestants paid 50p each to take part in the contest, with all proceeds going to the Good Shepherd Ministry.