ON Saturday, 30 competitors from around the world will assemble in the Carrbridge Village Hall, eager to earn their place in the pantheon of porridge fame. Only one can walk away with the much-coveted trophy the Golden Spurtle.
In order to be declared World Porridge Making Champion, they must show the judges theirs is the best traditional porridge, made using just three ingredients – oatmeal, water, and salt. Competitors can use pinhead, coarse, medium or fine oatmeal. Entries are judged on appearance, texture, colour and taste.
Entrants, each with their own ideas about how to create the perfect bowl of porridge, will have their work cut out impressing the judges, each of whom has stirred many a pot of blissful breakfast oats.
Neil Mugg, chef lecturer at Perth College UHI, heads the judging panel. A man dedicated to creating porridge perfection, he says: “The secret to good porridge is cooking it out. Let it simmer for at least five minutes. It should have finished absorbing the liquid by the time it is served up.
“Oatmeal needs a wee bit longer than oat flakes. As a chef, I love seeing people use their creativity when making the porridge they like.”
The World Porridge Making Championships use oatmeal, not rolled oats, for the competition, although there is an additional prize for the best speciality porridge, where oatmeal can be combined with any other ingredients.
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There is something of a north-south divide when it comes to porridge-making habits. Below the Tay, most folk use rolled oats; from Dundee on up, oatmeal is the choice of Highlanders.
Alan Meikle is the managing director of Hamlyns of Scotland, part of a family food business which started milling oats in 1888 and a major sponsor of the competition since it began 29 years ago.
“We’ve always sponsored the Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship,” he says.
“I love that it is a community event and Carrbridge is absolutely the right place for it – of course it should be in the heart of the Highlands!
“The Scots always knew porridge was a healthy breakfast, the rest of the world is beginning to realise that, too. We select for quality and texture.
“Hamlyns oats are big, bold, and Scottish! When consumers are looking to buy porridge, they can look at the price, the brand, the provenance. If you are buying a Scottish oat, you are buying better quality.
"Other producers selling under a label rather than specifying the place of origin will likely have a blend of oats of different quality from around the world, but they are still very nutritious.
“We select the best oats for Hamlyns Porridge, always Scottish. The further north you go, the better the oats. They thrive on poor soils, lots of rain, and long daylight hours – oats love the Highlands! It is the healthiest breakfast cereal out there, and it is affordable, our oats cost just 4p per bowl.”
The Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championships began in the way of many really good things: it was simple and sincere. An idea when out walking the dog, a love of porridge, and a dash of humour saw the community get behind a competition which started small and now has the eyes of the world upon it – there is even an Australian film crew coming along to document the fortunes of one Antipodean contender.
When so much rests on three ingredients, oats, water, and salt, competitors do all they can to give themselves an edge.
“We had one local man, an 11-times winner, who brought his own water from a bore hole in his garden. Another competitor brought water from Iceland,” says Karen Henderson, one of the volunteer organisers.
Her pride in and affection for the event is evident. “Entry is by a draw because we can only fit 30 people in the village hall. It is a competition with Scottish food and culture at its core – little is more iconic than the oat.
“It is a global competition with a local feel and the Carrbridge community is central to that. Everyone wants to keep the boutique, niche charm which stays true to what it is all about.”
And at the heart of this competition? There is the porridge, of course, and there is the spurtle, surely the simplest of kitchen implements? A wooden rod, the spurtle is known to have existed in its current form since at least the 15th century. Competitors are welcome to use a spoon to stir their porridge, but everyone who knows their oats swears by the spurtle.
Ruth Watson is the founder of the Keep Scotland the Brand campaign
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