Dr. Ian Rothwell learned to love hot curries during his student days. Images courtesy of Geoff Robinson Photography.
More than 300 people had failed to eat the superspicy meal at the Bindi restaurant in Grantham, Lincolnshire, reportedly having been left sweating, crying, shaking, and vomiting. Rothwell tackled it at a family dinner on Thursday evening and said that completing the challenge was harder than climbing Mount Kilimanjaro last year.
"I felt absolutely fine afterward, and was back at work the next day. I even had another curry on Saturday night!" he told BBC Radio 2's "Jeremy Vine Show" today (Monday). He said several national newspaper reports that the meal had induced hallucinations were untrue, but he admitted the curry was "off the scale" and he needed to take a stroll outside after 40 minutes.
Rothwell had to sign a disclaimer form acknowledging his awareness of the risks involved with eating the curry, which he washed down with a bottle of Cobra lager.
Rothwell is congratulated by executive chef Muhammed Karim.
"This curry got hotter and hotter as I went on and it was a struggle to finish, but I was determined to succeed," he told the Daily Mail newspaper. "The owner offered me a glass of milk to help with the hotness, but I decided to stick with beer and I think that helped. He said I was hallucinating, but I think it was just the endorphins from all the chilies."
For anybody wishing to put themselves through a similar ordeal, he advises people to eat slowly and not drink too much.
"Dr. Rothwell is a legend as far as I'm concerned," said the restaurant's managing director and executive chef, Muhammed Karim, noting that most people manage about seven mouthfuls before they give up. "I have tried 'The Widower' and it really is a killer. Even making it is a painful experience! We even had to ring an ambulance once."
According to the website of the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Rothwell qualified as a doctor at the University of Leeds in 1981, and his special interests are vascular and interventional radiology, and neuroimaging. He attributes his iron constitution to his student days.
"I went to university in Leeds in the 80s and got exposed to curries," he told the Grantham People newspaper. "It was a cheap way of eating and I've always enjoyed them hot."
"The Widower" curry.
Anybody wishing to emulate Rothwell's achievement can read more about the restaurant by clicking here. Also, you may want to try out the recipe yourself (see below).
The Widower curry recipe
1 small teaspoon of pure naga extracts (6 million Scovilles)5 Scotch bonnets (variety of chili pepper)
8 finger chilies
3 teaspoons of extra hot chili powder
Bindi spice mix
Chopped onions
Tablespoon of salt
![Examples of ultrasound findings and techniques. (A) Images in a 39-year-old male patient with a mass in the left thigh. The mass is heterogeneous on the B-mode US image (compared with the patient in D) and showed increased microvascularity (superb microvascular imaging [SMI]) and shear-wave elastography (SWE) values. Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy (with pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma in surgical specimen). (B) Images in an 18-year-old male patient with a mass in the left leg. The mass is hypoechoic on the B-mode image, with no other findings suggestive of malignancy. The lesion is in contact with the cortex of the tibia, which is slightly irregular. CT revealed a doubtful anteromedial tibial erosion. The microvascular study demonstrated high vascularization, suggestive of malignancy. Periosteal Ewing sarcoma was diagnosed with both histologic and immunohistochemical confirmation. (C) Images in a 69-year-old female patient with a lump growing on the outside of the left leg. Multiple SWE examinations were performed (please note the high values obtained in the measurements, whereas the color map highlights the stiffness relative to adjacent tissues). SMI showed areas of increased vascularization to target for sampling. Undifferentiated spindle cell sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with residual leiomyosarcoma in the surgical specimen after neoadjuvant therapy. (D) Images in a 56-year-old female patient with a mass in the right thigh. The mass is heterogeneous at both B-mode ultrasound (similar to patient A) and MRI (coronal T2-weighted spectral attenuated inversion recovery [SPAIR]; T1-weighted pre-contrast and postcontrast imaging), which even shows uptake after the administration of paramagnetic contrast material, which is traditionally suggestive of malignancy. Low values at SMI and elastography are suggestive of benignity. Spindle cell lipoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with atypical spindle cell lipomatous tumor in the surgical specimen.](https://img.auntminnieeurope.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/08/images-radiol250278fig2.APCFLSvX6p.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop&h=100&q=70&w=100)
![Examples of ultrasound findings and techniques. (A) Images in a 39-year-old male patient with a mass in the left thigh. The mass is heterogeneous on the B-mode US image (compared with the patient in D) and showed increased microvascularity (superb microvascular imaging [SMI]) and shear-wave elastography (SWE) values. Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy (with pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma in surgical specimen). (B) Images in an 18-year-old male patient with a mass in the left leg. The mass is hypoechoic on the B-mode image, with no other findings suggestive of malignancy. The lesion is in contact with the cortex of the tibia, which is slightly irregular. CT revealed a doubtful anteromedial tibial erosion. The microvascular study demonstrated high vascularization, suggestive of malignancy. Periosteal Ewing sarcoma was diagnosed with both histologic and immunohistochemical confirmation. (C) Images in a 69-year-old female patient with a lump growing on the outside of the left leg. Multiple SWE examinations were performed (please note the high values obtained in the measurements, whereas the color map highlights the stiffness relative to adjacent tissues). SMI showed areas of increased vascularization to target for sampling. Undifferentiated spindle cell sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with residual leiomyosarcoma in the surgical specimen after neoadjuvant therapy. (D) Images in a 56-year-old female patient with a mass in the right thigh. The mass is heterogeneous at both B-mode ultrasound (similar to patient A) and MRI (coronal T2-weighted spectral attenuated inversion recovery [SPAIR]; T1-weighted pre-contrast and postcontrast imaging), which even shows uptake after the administration of paramagnetic contrast material, which is traditionally suggestive of malignancy. Low values at SMI and elastography are suggestive of benignity. Spindle cell lipoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with atypical spindle cell lipomatous tumor in the surgical specimen.](https://img.auntminnieeurope.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/08/images-radiol250278fig2.APCFLSvX6p.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
