Colin retains his oyster eating record

Oyster King, Colin Shirlow, from Dromore still retains his Guinness World Record, which he achieved last year for knocking back a whopping 233 oysters in just three minutes.

This year he just failed to match his previous form, eating a total of 212 oysters.

This was no mean feat as Colin fought off not one but two American giants of competitive eating. Robert Bruce Shoudt, aged 46 from Pennsylvania, known to his legion of fans as Notorious BOB and ‘Matt Megatoad’ Stonie, aged 21 from California, they are ranked fourth and fifth in the world by IFOCE (International Federation of Competitive Eating).

Both competitors have rafts of world records in competitive eating including Bob devouring 39 Krystal hamburgers in two minutes and 34.75 beef brisket sandwiches in ten minutes and Matt eating 31 Slugburgers in ten minutes and 5.5lb (2.45 kilos) of birthday cake in just under nine minutes. Colin defeated them both to retain his crown.

Colin’s oyster-eating career began completely by chance but he quickly discovered he was a natural, setting a world record days after his first try.

“I’d walked into a bar in Hillsborough on a Thursday night where the Northern Ireland oyster heats were taking place, when one of the organisers grabbed me and asked if I wanted to have a go,” he says.

“Before I had a chance to think, I was up at the front and I was told I had to eat 60 oysters and beat the guy next to me, who was the current Northern Ireland champion.

“The buzzer went and I had finished the 60 oysters while he was still eating his, so I was told I’d made it to the final of the World Oyster Eating Championship.”

The event was part of the Hillsborough International Oyster Festival, which is now one of the longest-running and firmly established food events in the UK and attracts upwards of 14,000 national and international visitors annually.

Over 12,000 pints of Guinness, 4,000 glasses of Champagne and 6,000 oysters were enjoyed at the Festival in the shadow of Hillsborough Castle, a stunning 18th-century mansion that is the official residence of the Royal Family when they are in Northern Ireland.

The town is fast becoming a foodie capital of Northern Ireland.

The prestigious 2013 Michelin Guide to Eating Out in Pubs featured no less than three of the area’s establishments.