Lord of the Wings: Newcastle's wing battle

If you have spent the last couple of days following the scent of fried chicken across the city, there is a reason for it. Lord of the Wings has been taking over Wylam Brewery at the Palace of Arts Exhibition Park on Claremont Road, and it is still going. The event opened on Friday 23 October and runs again today, Saturday 24 October, with the doors throwing open at noon and the whole thing carrying on until late. Entry is free, which is the easy part; the food tickets are bought at the door, and that is where the real decisions happen.

The premise is simple enough: a line-up of vendors go head-to-head for the title of wing champion, with wings, sides, desserts and a nod to Mordor all on offer. It is not just for the meat-eaters either, with vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and child-friendly options built in, so it works as a family afternoon as much as a serious food crawl. The brewery leans hard into the theme, blending Middle Earth with chicken wings, which is about as on-the-nose as it gets.

It is also worth knowing where the competition comes from. A few of the names on the bill are worth a visit on their own. FEDS Fried Chicken, over on Grey Street, is known for sweet tea brined tenders and wings, and it keeps regular hours through the week if you want to track down their version when the event is over. Django's Smokehouse, meanwhile, is the place to go if you want to test your limits: their Danger Wings Challenge lands six wings in a sauce clocking 6.4 million Scoville units, with ten minutes to finish the lot for £15.95. And the Old George Inn, a 16th-century sports bar that King Charles I once stepped inside, rounds out the local wing scene with its own long history.

Lord of the Wings is not a one-off, either. It sits inside Wylam's wider Food Battles series, which has been busy all year. Flower Power opened things off back in February, followed by Kung Fu'd in March, Battle of the Burger in April, Slice Wars in May, and the Mexican Standoff later that month. Battle Royale came around in late August, and Argie Bhaji is still to come at the end of November, so the brewery has made a habit of turning a food category into a competition.

If you have not been down yet, today is the last chance to catch this edition. Turn up after noon, grab some tickets at the door, and work your way through the vendors before the kitchen shuts for the night. It is a low-stakes way to spend a Saturday afternoon, and with entry free, the only real commitment is how many wings you are willing to tackle.