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Image source, Michael Harley
2025 winner Sven Seljom gets his hands on the coveted Golden Spurtle, presented by former Scottish MasterChef finalist Sarah Rankin
What does a bakery owner from San Francisco have in common with a retired British Army officer, a newly-qualified Scottish lawyer, a US Marine veteran, an Edinburgh artist and a teacher from Fife?
All of them - plus a 2026 MasterChef UK finalist - are preparing to fight for the title of World Porridge Making Champion.
The annual oat-off has never been more popular, with double the number of entrants than the previous highest turnout.
The hopefuls all want to leave the Highland village of Carrbridge carrying the Golden Spurtle, porridge making's most coveted award.
The trophy is a giant version of the traditional wooden tool used for stirring porridge, thick soups, and stew.
Image source, Michael Harley
The competition has attracted twice as many entrants as its previous best year
The surge in porridge popularity could be fuelled by the success of the highly acclaimed documentary film The Golden Spurtle, which followed competitors at the 2023 championships.
Its focus on the competition's eccentric characters, intense porridge-making rivalries, and porridge world legends like Carrbridge local Ian Bishop and the "queen of porridge" Lisa Williams, has inspired record numbers to try their hand at competitive breakfast-making.
Thirty competitors representing 14 countries will take part - from Australia, the Czech Republic, South Africa, the USA, Norway, France, Switzerland and the Netherlands, as well as from across the UK and Ireland.
Among them will be defending world porridge making champion Sven Seljom from Norway, together with national porridge champions from competitions in the Netherlands, Norway and Australia.
Image source, Michael Harley
Porridge in drawers was a traditional way to store the filling food
Sven is taking part in the main competition, where competitors must prepare traditional porridge using only three ingredients - oatmeal, water and salt.
He can't wait: "The village and the organisers are doing such a tremendous job and it was the greatest experience of my life winning the title last year," he said.
There is also a speciality porridge competition, where competitors can combine oatmeal with any ingredients they choose, resulting in an imaginative mix of sweet and savoury dishes.
Last year's Speciality Award winner, Caroline Velik from Australia, created porridge jaffles – yoghurt flatbreads filled with porridge, rum-soaked bananas and toffee rum liqueur, and tossed in plum sugar.
The boss of it all - Porridge Chieftain Alan Rankin - said the response to this year's competition was unprecedented.
"The documentary has introduced the competition, Carrbridge, and the wonderful world of porridge to a whole new audience, and we're really looking forward to welcoming this year's competitors to the village," he said.
Image source, Pearly Spurtle
Robert Reid is Australia's first porridge national champion
Robert Reid, who won Australia's first national competition, the Pearly Spurtle, will be competing in Scotland as part of his prize.
He said: "It's been a bit of a whirlwind. To go from my wife telling me she submitted my application to actually winning the Pearly Spurtle four weeks later has been pretty surreal.
"My dad is Scottish, so porridge has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. The sense of community at the Pearly Spurtle was incredible, I'm excited to now have the chance to do them proud in Carrbridge."
He said salted porridge had shaped his life, thanks to his Scottish granny and his Dad, who was born on the Isle of Jura and raised in Greenock.
"Their tradition lives on in my own kitchen, where my twins now enjoy properly salted, never sweet porridge cooked by me or their grandad," he said.
"Winning the Pearly Spurtle was a proud moment, especially using my dad's treasured Scottish spurtle. The same one I will bring with me to Carrbridge and the Golden Spurtle to represent Australia."
