Oat of this world: cooks descend on Scotland for ultimate porridge making contest

Competitors were tasked with producing a traditional porridge – made only from untreated oatmeal, water and salt – and a speciality dish where additional ingredients and flourishes were permitted. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The GuardianView image in fullscreenCompetitors were tasked with producing a traditional porridge – made only from untreated oatmeal, water and salt – and a speciality dish where additional ingredients and flourishes were permitted. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The GuardianOat of this world: cooks descend on Scotland for ultimate porridge making contestTechnical mishaps and plenty of whisky as competitors from as far afield as US and Australia vie for Golden Spurtle

There are many varieties of spurtle. The traditional Scottish cooking implement, designed for stirring porridge without forming lumps, comes in a range of sizes, can be formed from cherry wood, beech, or maple, and might be topped with a decorative finial or smoothed out at its end for a more modern finish. But on Saturday in Carrbridge, in the Scottish Highlands, only one spurtle mattered: the Golden Spurtle, awarded annually to the winner of the World Porridge Making championship, which have been hosted here since 1994.

View image in fullscreenThe day began with a pipe band parade through Carrbridge and a toast to the porridge at the village hall. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The GuardianThe sun shone on the picturesque village as almost 40 competitors lined up in the village hall for six heats across the day. Tasked with producing a traditional porridge – made only from untreated oatmeal, water and salt – and a speciality dish where additional ingredients and flourishes were permitted, entrants had travelled from across Scotland and as far afield as Australia and the US for a shot at the Golden Spurtle.

View image in fullscreenJosh Kettleson from the US, who reached the finals. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The GuardianAs the first heat kicked off, technical difficulties beset some contestants when the provided induction hobs, new this year after a long tradition of gas, failed to heat. But the reigning champion, Norway’s Sven Seljom, was unaffected, serenely stirring Norwegian mutton into oats and filtered water he had brought with him especially for the competition. He had planned to bring Norwegian cheese, too, he said, but import rules meant he had to make do with something more local. A sizeable entourage watched on in traditional Scandinavian dress as he measured, stirred and tasted, boisterous chants of “SVEN, SVEN, SVEN” breaking out at each mention of his name.

View image in fullscreenSupporters of the Norwegian defending champion, Sven Seljom. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The GuardianThe first of the day’s many whisky breaks came 10 minutes into proceedings at 10.40am, with shots of a lowland malt distributed throughout the exuberant crowd as competitors did well to retain their focus. The drams’ effects meant nobody seemed to mind too much when the crucial timer was accidentally reset just moments from the heat’s tense final countdown.

View image in fullscreenThe judges blind-tasted each batch, assessing primarily for taste, texture and colour. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The GuardianAny initial teething problems were quickly ironed out as the day settled into a well-oiled rhythm. In a separate “judging chamber”, a trio of judges from Scotland’s culinary scene blind-tasted each batch, assessing primarily for taste, texture and colour. Among the speciality porridges on offer throughout the day were a “Granola Espanola”, a porridge cannoli from the Australian national champion, Robert Reid, and a recipe featuring soft-boiled quail eggs.

View image in fullscreenThere were some initial issues with the induction hobs, but contests soon got going. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian“The first thing I did was burn my oats,” lamented Switzerland’s Jeremy McTeague after a heat that didn’t quite go to plan. But he remained upbeat: “It gave them a distinctive toastiness – maybe the judges will like it.”

View image in fullscreenDoug Mackay’s speciality porridge featured langoustines. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The GuardianHundreds of spectators showed up for the day’s spectacle, from Carrbridge residents who turn out each year to support the community-powered event, to tourists such as Joe, 43, and Tina, 39, who were visiting from England and had overheard a conversation about the championship in a local pub the previous night.

“We looked it up and decided straight away we’d be here,” said Joe. “It’s Scotland, it’s porridge, someone said there would be whisky … it was a no-brainer.” The pair said they were making a beeline for the tasting room to sample the produce left over from judging.

View image in fullscreenThe Australian national champion, Rob Reid, gets going. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The GuardianThe event proved so popular that the village hall had to operate a one-in, one-out policy. Those who couldn’t fit inside were decanted into a merch tent bursting with oats, spurtles and “always stir clockwise” tote bags, while local cafes and tourist centres screened a live stream of the competition. There was plenty of action to be found around the village, from competitors spotted calming their nerves with pints in the local hotel, to an American visitor who accidentally caused controversy by dressing as a box of Scott’s Porage Oats – rolled oats of the kind not allowed in competition, and a rival to the event’s sponsors, Hamlyns.

View image in fullscreenThere were whispers of a ‘porridge war’ after an American visitor arrived dressed as a carton of oats from the rival brand to the sponsors. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The GuardianBy the afternoon, the hall was full of cooking aromas and the crowd full of whisky and porridge as they took their seats once more to see who would walk away victorious. There was a minor upset when the reigning champion, Seljom, missed out on the final, but a surprise win for McTeague saw him through to the cook-off despite his earlier woes.

Once the top six had taken to the hob one last time, though, it was the Netherlands national champion, Gina Saarberg, who emerged victorious in the traditional competition, with the speciality prize going to Reid for his cannoli.

View image in fullscreenGina Saarberg, the Netherlands national champion, receives her prize. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian“I’m at a loss for words,” Saarberg said as she clutched her Golden Spurtle. “To be here was already such a win in the first place. This is a beautiful community, so of course I’m very happy I won, but it’s also just a pleasure to be here.”