Aussie takes out World Porridge Making Champion title with Italian-inspired dessert creation
Updated . First published
Australia has won the specialty category at the World Porridge Making Championships in Scotland for the second year running, while the Netherlands has taken out the main award thanks to a secret ingredient transported all the way from home.
Sydney’s Rob Reid made porridge cannoli for his competition dish in a category where oatmeal can be combined with any ingredients, unlike the main category where only oats, water and salt are allowed to be used.
Gina Saarberg and Rob Reid with their trophies from the World Porridge Making Championships. Michael Harley
The 36-year-old, who won the Australian Porridge Championships on the Central Coast in August, said the recipe was inspired by his family heritage.
“My dad’s Scottish and my mum’s Sicilian, so when I was thinking about what I could do, the idea came to me. Then I had to work out how I could possibly make it in 30 minutes,” he said.
“The shells are like a brandy snap but with Marsala, which is a Sicilian wine. 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. 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.”
Reid’s win follows fellow Aussie Caroline Velik’s win in the specialty category last year for her campfire porridge jaffles.
The main title and coveted golden spurtle – a replica of a traditional Scottish stirring stick – was won by Dutch woman Gina Saarberg.
The 28-year-old stuck with the recipe that won her the Netherlands championship earlier this year using oats from a local brand, salt and water she transported all the way from home.
“It’s very soft, and I think the mineral content may have something to do with it. I’m not sure – but it worked last time and this time as well, so maybe it’s the water,” she told the BBC.
The salt may have helped too, as Saarberg has realised what a difference it makes to the result.
“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.”
Rob Reid made porridge cannoli for his championship-winning dish. Michael Harley
The win is even more impressive given it’s an uncommon food where Saarberg is from.
“Porridge isn’t something that is widely eaten in the Netherlands. I started eating porridge in my student days, but I used rolled oats. When I switched to oatmeal I found that it made a much creamier porridge – it reminded me of rice pudding,” Saarberg said.
The World Porridge Making Championships is an annual event run by volunteers since 1994. This year it featured 30 competitors from 14 countries.
