Smartie-pants Tara de Cozar, of the Evening Post, explains how she tried to break a world record in Nottingham.

It's not every day that people get a chance to try to break a world record.

And if it happens to involve eating chocolate it becomes even more attractive.

But half way through my own attempt to eat as many Smarties as possible in three minutes - using chopsticks - I was starting to regret letting myself in for it.

It quickly became clear that all the fun goes out of it when you are shovelling the things down at speed.

My attempt was one of many at WH Smith, and I only managed a meagre 32 - not even denting the record of 83 held by Robert Moncreiff from Hampshire.

The event was being held to mark the launch of the 2003 Guinness Book of World Records.

It may sound easy, but the rules of Smartie eating are strict - this record-breaking is a very serious business.

The chocolates used must be of a standard variety, variations such as the giant Smartie are definitely not allowed.

And they must be carried to the mouth with the chopsticks, they can't be flicked. Only one can be picked up at a time.

At least two witnesses are required, one of whom is the official timekeeper, and they have the unenviable job of checking the competitor's mouth is completely empty at the end of the attempt.

Sam Carrington, 26, of Gamston, Notts, was the first to try the challenge.

She got off to a slow start - the chopsticks were giving her trouble - but rallied round towards the end, managing a credible 14 Smarties.

She said: "It's really hard, I knew in the first 30 seconds that I wouldn't be able to do it."

The attempts were watched by veteran record breaker Peter Dowdeswell, who holds 303 food and drink related records.

Since 1974 he has raised almost £4.5m for children's charities by getting sponsorship for his events.

His records include drinking a pint of milk in 3.2 seconds, eating a three-course meal in 45 seconds and 14 hard boiled eggs in 58 seconds.

He said: "The only one I want to break now is the roast ox eating record. It was set in 1880 and it took one man 42 days.

"But the way I eat, people reckon I could do it in about 18."

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