“The Ultimate Answer to Life, The Universe and Everything is...42,” wrote Douglas Adams in the iconic comedy sci-fi novel 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' - and that quote is the inspiration for one cafe's latest eating challenge.
Eating 42 food items in half an hour may seem like child's play if you've ever demolished a box of 20 nuggets at McDonalds, but this challenge at Warrington's Café At The End Of The Universe is no joke. Weighing in at around 2kg, it features a bacon double cheeseburger, a hot dog, 20 boneless chicken wings (10 BBQ and 10 chipotle), 10 onion rings, six jalapeno poppers, three corn dogs, and a large portion of fries.
Explaining how he came up with the monster platter, owner Andy Kinsella told the Manchester Evening News : "It seemed to me that most of the food challenges you do are just huge versions of things, like a giant burger or really spicy wings. We wanted to do something that had a bit of everything, so for the people who might not finish it, you can have a variety of food and sample quite a bit of our menu."
READ MORE : We ate supermarket cafe Christmas dinners at Asda, Morrisons, Tesco, M&S and Sainsbury's and one smashed it
It's a great idea, especially when taking into account how mouth-watering the cafe's menu looks - and you really do get a bit of everything. It costs £30, with £5 of that going to a local food bank. The price also includes a drink of your choice and if you somehow manage to successfully eat all that in the space of 30 minutes, you get a special T-shirt, a spot on the cafe's wall of fame and your money back as vouchers.
According to Andy, who lives in Trafford and opened the eatery at Warrington Market in 2017, a number of competitors have been successful in the past - most notably Leeds-born competitive eater BeardMeatsFood who did it in a ludicrously quick 13 minutes. However, Andy told me that none have beaten it since they started weighing out the fries.
Never one to shy away from a challenge, I made the trip down the M62 on a frosty Thursday night to give it my best shot. Any time you have to sign a waiver before eating definitely ramps up the nerves a little bit.
The disclaimer stated the rules, followed by these words: "I hereby announce that I am daft enough to take on this food challenge, I am responsible for my own actions, I don't hold Café at the End of the Universe responsible for any possible reaction, health or otherwise, to attempting this challenge."
After a quick chat with Andy, my food was brought over, along with a bottle of water. What wasn't brought over was cutlery or napkins - psychologically, this added another layer of challenge.
A few people online have said that the platter of food doesn't look too big in photos, but let me tell you, when it is put down on that table, it becomes a daunting prospect. After giving me a few seconds to compose myself, Andy pressed the button on top of the digital countdown clock and I was underway.
I had no strategy and just had a bite of everything first, as it all looked so good. The very first thing I tasted was the boneless wings, and while these were deliciously tender, they did get my hands very saucy early doors, with no way of cleaning them - schoolboy error.
After my experience with Zouk's bottomless curry challenge a couple of months ago, I tried my best not to rush, but this was really tricky as everything tasted great and I wanted to just try the next thing. Naturally, it was the carbs that caught up with me and almost everything seemed to be in batter, breadcrumbs or a bun of some sort.
Talking of carbs, the fries were superb, and that's coming from someone who is not the biggest fan of chips. They were crispy on the outside, fluffy inside and covered in a really tasty spice blend that is made in-house. They were so good that even when I was starting to struggle and felt like I couldn't fit in any more food, I found myself forcing them into small gaps in the side of my mouth.
It was around the 15 minute mark that I really knew that I was done for, with the purple digits on the countdown clock silently mocking me as my stomach got more and more full. I made a feeble attempt at finishing the hot dog and an even more pathetic attempt at eating the burger.
Once I realised that the challenge was well out of reach, I set myself the challenge of at least eating all of the boneless wings, but I was two short of this as well. For about the last five minutes I just sat looking at the tray of food in front of me, very sadly, in a bid to keep everything that I had eaten down.
So, no t-shirt or place on the wall of fame for me, but you are allowed to take what you don't finish home with you so that there's no waste. I may not have got the vouchers, but after tasting how good their food is, I'll definitely be making the journey back to Warrington soon - but will just order something much more sensible next time.
The challenge is being paused over the Christmas period, but if you would like to take it on yourself in the new year, you can contact Café at the End Of The Universe for more details, or visit their Facebook page for more information.
Read more of today's top stories here
READ NEXT:
Famous Curry Mile restaurant closes down 'until further notice'
Inside Stockport's new games bar offering a hit of nostalgia
'I went for Christmas afternoon tea at Poppins and couldn't believe what I got for £20'
First look at Ewe: Restaurant and bar 'brings city centre to the suburbs' with £1m makeover
