Gi Saarberg, a Dutch woman, won the World Porridge Making Championship using organic pinhead oats and water she brought from her home country. The event featured 30 competitors from 14 countries competing with traditional and specialty dishes. Rob Reid from Australia took the speciality porridge title with his innovative porridge cannoli dish combining Scottish and Sicilian elements.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-03,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Lucinda Cameron of The Standard reported that Saarberg, a Dutch woman, was crowned World Porridge Making Champion. She used organic pinhead oats from a Dutch company called De Halm, water she brought from the Netherlands, and added salt to her recipe. This year's competition featured 30 competitors from 14 countries including Australia, South Africa, the US, Czech Republic, Norway, France, Switzerland, the UK, and Ireland. The judging panel included Neil Mugg, former chef at Gleneagles and now a hospitality teacher at UHI Perth; KJ Gilmour from New Zealand’s KJ’s Bothy Bakery in Grantown-on-Spey; and Clare Coghill of Cafe Cuil on the Isle of Skye. Additionally, Rob Reid, a 36-year-old Australian, won the specialty porridge competition with his porridge cannoli inspired by his Scottish and Sicilian heritage.
Written for “World Porridge Making Championship” on 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
She followed the same recipe she used to win the Netherlands championships in July, with organic pinhead oats from Dutch company De Halm, water that she had brought from the Netherlands, and salt.
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she → follow → Netherlands
This year, 30 competitors representing 14 countries took part in the competition, with entrants coming from as far afield as Australia, South Africa and the US as well as the Czech Republic, Norway, France, and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland.
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entrants → represent → Australia
Ms Saarberg said: “Porridge isn’t something that is widely eaten in the Netherlands.
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that → say → Netherlands
“I started eating porridge in my student days, but I used rolled oats.
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I → start → oats
“When I switched to oatmeal I found that it made a much creamier porridge – it reminded me of rice pudding.
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it → switch → pudding
“I only started adding salt to my porridge for the competition and quickly realised that it really brings out the nuances and different aromas, and makes it taste much better.”
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it → start → nuances
The event also features a speciality porridge competition, where competitors can combine oatmeal with any ingredients they choose to create imaginative dishes.
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they → feature → dishes
Rob Reid, 36, from Sydney, Australia, won the speciality title with his porridge cannoli which draws on his Scottish and Sicilian heritage.
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which → win → heritage
Mr Reid, who became Australia’s porridge champion in August, said: “My dad’s Scottish and my mum’s Sicilian, so when I was thinking about what I could do, the idea came to me.
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idea → become → me
Then I had to work out how I could possibly make it in 30 minutes.
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The cream has a mix of ricotta, mascarpone, icing sugar and the traditional porridge that I made, which I put through a sieve so you get all the creamy goodness.
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you → have → goodness
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“I also added toasted oats which I ground with a mortar and pestle, which bring it together and make sure it’s thick enough to stay in the shell.”
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it → read → shell
The judging panel this year included Neil Mugg, former chef at Gleneagles who now teaches hospitality at UHI Perth, KJ Gilmour from New Zealand, who is head chef and owner of KJ’s Bothy Bakery in Grantown-on-Spey, and Clare Coghill, owner of Cafe Cuil on the Isle of Skye.
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who → include → Skye
Porridge chieftain Alan Rankin said: “It has been an absolute pleasure to welcome 30 exceptional competitors from all corners of the globe to Carrbridge, and in Gina, we have a truly worthy champion.
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we → say → champion
“The World Porridge Making Championship is a wonderfully quirky tradition that thrives on good humour and friendly competition, offering a wonderful escape from the daily grind.
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that → thrive → grind
“Each year, our local community opens its doors and we hope everyone who joined us leaves with fond memories of their visit.”
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who → open → visit
The World Porridge Making Championship is organised by a team of volunteers from Carrbridge, and is sponsored by Hamlyns of Scotland.
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Championship → organise → Scotland
Alan Meikle, managing director of Hamlyns, said: “The Golden Spurtle is such a unique and special event, which we are proud to sponsor.
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we → say → which
“It’s fantastic to see porridge lovers from across the world getting together, united in a love of porridge.
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lovers → ’ → porridge
The Aporia
