Director: Daniel England
Writer: Daniel England
Running time: 13mins
One summer afternoon, after finding myself on the streets of Hackney with half an hour to burn, I wandered into the closest pub and encountered an unexpected scene. Huddled against a far wall were a group of patrons enthusiastically cheering a man as he attempted to swallow a pickled egg in record time. This was my first introduction to The Cock Tavern’s infamous competition, which asks its challengers just one question: how fast can you eat a pickled egg?
Daniel England’s short documentary charmingly captures how this eccentric competition came to be, inviting us to spend a while in the chaos with its larger-than-life characters. And just like a pickled egg eating contest, it may be slight, it may be silly, but it’s an awful lot of fun.
True to its fast-paced subject matter, England’s documentary wastes no time establishing the time, place and rules of the tournament, casting us directly into the community that found camaraderie in the brine. The breakneck pace of How Fast Can You Eat A Pickled Egg? is its strongest attribute, charting the journey of the competition from humble beginnings to local legend in a confident rhythm. Keeping an audience engaged in a subject this silly is no mean feat, and England succeeds with aplomb.
As much thought has been given to the documentary’s visual style, which uses mixed media to match the mayhem of the contest and make us feel not just like an observer, but a participant in the fun. England deploys split screens, match cuts, slow zooms, and Super 8 footage to build a tactile tapestry that captures the grit and grime of your favourite local pub. Visually, only Luke ‘Pickle Boy’ Malloy’s talking head interview upsets the style, with a location that jars with the rest of the documentary’s grungy charm. Despite this, Luke proves winning as a narrator, with his cheeky and propulsive storytelling an indispensable boon for this small and endearing tale.
The storytelling is also elevated by England’s impressive access to archival footage throughout the contest’s entire journey. We follow the egg’s voyage from crisp packet to behind-the-bar staple, from comedy-night prop to speed-eating sport, all with detailed coverage that vividly captures every step. In less certain hands, England’s film might have read as little more than a promotional tool for The Cock Tavern and its eccentricities, but through its craft and creativity, it transcends to become a celebration of British pub culture.
In the world of documentary film, a subject this frivolous might otherwise attract criticism for its lack of political or social value, but England’s film gleefully sidesteps any and all portent, and instead finds some simple poignancy in the community of the pub. Its pleasures may be modest, but How Fast Can You Eat a Pickled Egg? is a reminder that all someone needs is a friend and an egg to find something to smile about.
A short, sharp burst of fun. You may learn very little and forget what you’ve seen by the light of morning, but doesn’t that describe the best pub nights too?