Dutch Cook Gina Saarberg Wins the Golden Spurtle at the World Porridge Making Championship

Most championships come down to speed, strength or skill with a ball. In the Highland village of Carrbridge, the winner is whoever makes the best bowl of porridge.

On Saturday, 3 October, Gina Saarberg, 28, from the Netherlands, won the Golden Spurtle trophy and the title of World Porridge Making Champion, The Scotsman reported.

A simple winning recipe

The traditional category, which decides the main title, only allows three ingredients: oatmeal, water and salt. With so little to work with, every choice counts.

Saarberg used organic pinhead oats from Dutch company De Halm and salt, and she brought water from the Netherlands with her. She had already won the Dutch national championship in July with the same recipe. She told reporters that salt is what brings out the subtle flavours in a good porridge.

Porridge cannoli takes the speciality prize

The speciality category lets competitors add whatever they like to their oats. Rob Reid, 36, from Sydney, Australia, won it with a "porridge cannoli" that mixed Scottish and Sicilian ideas.

This year's field had 30 competitors from 14 countries, including Australia, South Africa, the United States, the Czech Republic, Norway, France, Switzerland, the UK and Ireland.

The judges were:

• Neil Mugg, a former chef at Gleneagles
• KJ Gilmour, head chef of KJ's Bothy Bakery in Grantown-on-Spey
• Clare Coghill, owner of Cafe Cuil on the Isle of Skye

More than 30 years of porridge

The championship started in 1994 and is held in Carrbridge village hall, in the Cairngorms National Park. Since 2009 it has been held around World Porridge Day. It is run by volunteers from the village, and this year's event was sponsored by oat miller Hamlyns of Scotland.

It has only stopped three times: it was cancelled in 1997, and it moved online in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Entries have come from all over the world. In 2023 cooks came from twenty countries, and a documentary about that year's contest, The Golden Spurtle, came out in 2025.

Saarberg follows recent winners Adam Kiani in 2023, Chris Ormiston in 2024 and Norway's Sven Seljom in 2025. Two winners in a row from mainland Europe shows how far beyond Scotland the contest now reaches.

Why it matters to Malaysian readers

Malaysians don't need persuading about a good rice porridge, whether it's bubur ayam at breakfast or bubur lambuk during Ramadan. The Carrbridge contest is a reminder that cooking a simple dish well can be a serious competition. Its spurtle, a traditional Scottish wooden stirring stick, is easily one of the most unusual trophies in world competition.

The contest is a strict test of technique. With only three ingredients, the result depends on the oats, the water-to-oat ratio, the salt and how carefully the porridge is cooked and stirred. Small changes make a big difference to the judges.

Key takeaways

• Gina Saarberg, 28, from the Netherlands, won the 2026 Golden Spurtle in Carrbridge on 3 October.
• Her winning traditional porridge used only Dutch pinhead oats, water from the Netherlands and salt.
• Australia's Rob Reid won the speciality category with a "porridge cannoli".
• The championship has run since 1994 and this year drew 30 competitors from 14 countries.

FAQ

What is the Golden Spurtle? It is the trophy given to the World Porridge Making Champion. A spurtle is a traditional Scottish wooden stick for stirring porridge.

What ingredients are allowed? The traditional category allows only oatmeal, water and salt. The speciality category lets cooks add other ingredients.

Where is the championship held? In Carrbridge village hall in the Scottish Highlands, inside the Cairngorms National Park.

Sources: The Scotsman, Wikipedia