Cracked It! Egg Eating World Record Beaten. (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Saltburn Farmer's Market Guinness World Record

5:34pm Sunday 9th September 2012 in News By Chris Webber, Reporter (Stockton/Hartlepool)

HE’S cracked it.
A strong-stomached foodie has brought a brand new World Record all the way from New York to Saltburn.
Cheered on by scores of enthusiastic shoppers, fitness instructor Kevin Hayes, 44, smashed the Guinness World record for eating three pickled eggs in the fastest time at Saltburn Farmers’ Market over the weekend.
Mr Hayes’ time of 52.60 seconds sliced almost six seconds off the previous world record of 58.16 seconds, set by American Ashrita Furman at the Panorama Café in New York on 12, July 2010.
Mr Hayes from the town’s Garnet Street, was the tenth and final food-lover to step up to the plate, after nine plucky contestants had found the going tough. Apprentice electrical engineer Jack Wilson, 17, from Brotton had come closest, just four seconds away from smashing the old New York record.
The new world-record holder decided to have a go on the spur of the moment.
Speaking just after smashing the record he said: “I’d heard about this and was at the market anyway, so I thought I’d give it a crack. I love my food and knew I could do it, so it feels absolutely amazing to break the record.”
The world record attempt was the brainchild of Farmers’ Market stallholder David Laing, with eggs provided from his 170 free-range woodland chickens and rescued former battery hens at Grewgrass Lodge in nearby Marske.
Mr Laing said: “We never eggspected anything like this. It’s been a cracking day from start to finish, and we’re thrilled to have poached the world record all the way from New York and brought it right here to Saltburn.”
Farmers’ Market organiser Lorna Jackson said: “We’ve had some amazing days at Saltburn Farmers’ Market, but this just tops the lot.
“It was a tough record to break, but I knew we could bring it to Saltburn. We’ve had another really busy day, with shoppers cheering everyone taking part. Hats off to each and every one of the Top Ten who had a go and huge congratulations to Kevin.”
The organisers recorded the event and had an official time-keeper but must now send the evidence to Guinness World Records.