Huge crowds gathered on bank holiday Monday for the World Gravy Wrestling Championships, an event first staged in 2007. Approximately 1,500 liters of gravy were poured into a ring at Bacup cricket club in Lancashire, where contestants participated in two-minute bouts while wearing fancy dress.
A panel of four judges selected the winners based on wrestling skills, costume originality, and crowd reaction. The gravy, enough to supply an estimated 15,000 Sunday roasts, was created by Andrew Holt of The Real Lancashire Black Pudding Company. Holt uses a recipe originally developed by his grandmother, producing three different thicknesses of gravy—thin and slippy, thick and gooey, and extra thick—before combining them for the competition. The gravy's viscosity was monitored and topped up throughout the event to ensure consistent conditions for all participants.
The event serves as a fundraiser for East Lancashire hospice, with participants also having the option to raise money for charities of their choice. Among the fancy dress costumes observed were characters such as the Grinch and Ali G.
