THE people of Blackburn have been invited to try their hand at a series of new Man v Food-style challenges.

Melt Dessert Bar in Plane Street is encouraging would-be champions to step up to the plate and test their mettle against mountains of waffles and cookie dough as well as downing a milkshakes.

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Owner Yusuf Lambat said that he was inspired to set the challenged after seeing the American TV show Man V Food.

The programme is hosted by actor and food enthusiast Adam Richman and sees him exploring the ‘big food’ offerings of a different American city before facing off against a pre-existing eating challenge at a local restaurant.

He has ploughed his way through the likes of a seven-pound burrito, a metre-long bratwurst, and a 12-patty cheeseburger.

Other challenges have involved 180 oysters, a pile of violently hot chicken wings, and two gallons of ice cream. Yusuf, who was born and raised in Blackburn, said that he wanted to bring the same concept to desserts and set up his first challenge with waffles.

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Customers can attempt to eat eight waffles which are dripped in sauces and come with ice cream and strawberries in seven minutes.

The lowest time stands at 4.30 minutes and hasn’t been broken in more than 50 attempts.

After the success of the inaugural challenge Yusuf, 36, has launched two more including cookie dough and milkshakes.

Customers are invited to eat five portions of cookie dough in five minutes or down three large milkshakes in four minutes.

No-one has yet completed the new challenges despite plenty trying.

Yusuf said: “It’s a bit of fun and it brings out people’s competitive nature.

“We have a hall of fame here so if people are successful then their picture is show in the bar alongside other winners.

“They are deliberately hard challenges but they can be beaten.

“Only eight people have ever beaten the waffle challenge and I couldn’t finish it myself when I tried.

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“It’s quite creative to come up with these sorts of things and it has been fun making them up.

“Obviously I hope that it brings more people into the bar and they certainly are a unique selling point for us.”

Ryan Wood, the Lancashire Telegraph’s hungry web editor, became one of only a handful of people to have overcome the waffle challenge when he posted a food-filled time of 6.58 minutes.