Soton Tab Vs Food: Bar Three's Braveheart Challenge

When Bar Three opened earlier this year, it brought with it the University of Southampton’s first eating challenge, The Braveheart. The Soton Tab tried it to see if it was all it was cracked up to be.

The rules of the Braveheart

The challenge is simple. You have 20 minutes to clear your plate, ploughing through a 14 inch baguette loaded with a spicy chilli, accompanied by a huge portion of chips and salad. Finish within 20 minutes and get half your money back, beat the record for a full refund and eternal glory. Sounds easy right?

Channeling your inner Adam Richman is vital when taking on the Braveheart

Wrong.

Send help

When the food arrived, it became pretty obvious that we had literally bitten off more than we could chew. Classic case of eyes being bigger than the stomach, but it was too late to turn back now.

The 20 minute timer started, and we dug in

The food itself is worthy of a mention. The mince is actually vegan, so the challenge can be taken on by all. The chilli was spicy but very tasty, the scotch-bonnet peppers providing a hefty kick. The chips were well seasoned, as was the salad. Sadly, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing.

The scotch bonnet peppers proved too much for some

The record for completing the challenge stands around the 15 minute mark. We made good progress for the first 10, then things became difficult. Our tactics had varied, some going for the chips first, others removing the meat from the baguette and going for that. Sadly, we all began to hit the wall.

Form an orderly line, ladies

The 15 minute mark came and went, meaning none of us had beaten the record. Playing for pride at this point we kept going, but it wasn’t to be.

Solid effort

I managed to put away most of the chips and half of the sandwich before I had to concede. 20 minutes passed, and none of us had made it.

Physically and mental broken

We failed the Braveheart challenge. It’s not for the faint-hearted, and I would recommend some actual preparation before attempting it. For us, it’s back to watching episodes of Man Vs Food, and dreaming of a glorious day of redemption in the future.

We’ll be back someday

Have you tried the Braveheart challenge? Let us know how you fared in the comments below.