MOST have heard of the Beast of Bodmin and the abominable snowman but soon pub-goers will start to talk in hushed tones of the fearsome Badbury Beast.

But while the Badbury Beast is already dead – and served with a choice of sauces – it still remains untamed and continues to ravage all who try.

After I conquered the Mega Breakfast I was feeling confident of victory in my second bout at the Bakers Arms, in Badbury, but the tale of the tape was not in my favour.

I weighed in at around 154lbs with landlord Dave and pub regular Calvin in my corner, while the Beast looked worth every bit of its 32oz of prime rump steak and was accompanied by 32 chunky chips, three tomatoes, three mushrooms and three onion rings.

Before I go any further I should say the rules of this challenge were the toughest part – challengers must dispatch every morsel in just 32 minutes.

And that’s not a long time, so tactics are key.

I attacked the steak first, a succulent cut cooked on the well side of medium that was full of flavour, and often doubled up with chips each the size of a fist, but about halfway through I had slowed down and each forkful was a real slog.

It wasn’t helped by the fact that my wingman Calvin had demolished the meat inside 20 minutes and was busy organising his chips into smaller piles in a bid to psych out his opponent. In the end though the potatoes hit him like a soft and starchy brick wall and he had to give in.

I thought about going on even once the final bell rang to signal the end of the 32 minutes but I threw in the towel, left with no incentive to carry on and only the bitter taste of peppercorn sauce and defeat.

Adver reporter Emma Dunn, who was at the scene, said: “I couldn’t believe it when I first saw the steak, it was twice the size of his face. At one point I thought he might actually do it but then he started slowing down. He made a good effort and so did the other guys – I know I couldn’t do it.”

l Do you know of another food challenge? Maybe your restaurant serves up a mammoth of a burger or your cafe has the biggest ice cream sundae in Swindon.

We want to hear from you and get Scott to tackle the dish. Contact the newsdesk on newsdesk@swindonadvertiser.co.uk or call 01793 501806.