Porridge makers from the Netherlands and Australia claim world championship titles after Golden Spurtle contest in Scotland

From the Newshound archive · first published 4 October 2026 · last updated 5 October 2026.

A Dutch winner triumphed with water brought from the Netherlands and oats from Dutch company De Halm, using the same recipe that won her the Netherlands national title in July.

The speciality title went to Rob Reid, 36, of Sydney, whose porridge cannoli shells were made using a brandy-snap technique with Marsala, a Sicilian wine, then filled with a ricotta and mascarpone cream.

The Dutch champion said porridge 'isn't something that is widely eaten in the Netherlands' — she only discovered it as a student.

She said she only started adding salt for competition and quickly found it 'brings out the nuances and different aromas.' Reid's cannoli creation was inspired by his Scottish father and Sicilian mother.