The word \u201cporridge\u201d to me evokes something modest and satisfying: mouthfuls of reliable pleasantness in a terribly volatile world. How lovely that The Golden Spurtle \u2013 Constantine Costi\u2019s charming documentary about the world\u2019s annual porridge-making championship in the Scottish village of Carrbridge \u2013 has assumed some of the qualities of the dish. It isn\u2019t flashy (and certainly doesn\u2019t scream \u201cmust-watch\u201d) but, like a good ol\u2019 fashioned bowl of well-cooked oats, it\u2019s got it where it counts.<\/p>\n
This film is a pleasure to watch \u2013 with endearing salt-of-the-earth subjects, a lovely ebb and flow, and a tone that feels just right: neither overly serious nor tongue in cheek. Its appeal is not dissimilar to the Australian comedy series Rosehaven<\/a>: sometimes it\u2019s just nice to escape into a fresh air-filled world with refreshingly low stakes. Even if the competitors, gawd luv \u2019em, treat the competition very seriously.<\/p>\n Carrbridge, in the Scottish Highlands, is home to the annual world porridge making championships. Photograph: Umbrella<\/p>\n The Golden Spurtle is also lovely to look at. It\u2019s displayed in a tucked-in 4:3 aspect ratio that has a slightly antiquated feel, which suits the material. The opening shot features a grassy field overlaid with text declaring that every year Carrbridge hosts the titular tournament, though the upcoming event is a little different: it\u2019s the last to be led by its head organiser, Charlie Miller, who is hanging up his stirring spoon after many years of service. This contextualises what comes next as an end-of-empire narrative, belonging to a pantheon of stories about dynasties that changed the course of history and rattled the tectonic, erm, oatmeal bowls of existence.<\/p>\n Early moments introduce places in and around Carrbridge \u2013 including a pub and a cemetery \u2013 before we meet competitors and people of note in the world of rolled oats. They include the Australian taco chef Toby Wilson, who packs up a portable kitchen and flies with it across the world, and is competing against the likes of Nick Barnard, the co-founder of a wholesome food company who is \u201cburning with desire\u201d to triumph after having made the finals several times.<\/p>\n Sydney-based taco chef Toby Wilson is a two-time finalist. Photograph: Umbrella<\/p>\n I wondered whether we\u2019d meet the equivalent of a moustache-twirling villain: someone comparable perhaps to the cocksure Billy Mitchell from the video game documentary King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters<\/a> \u2013 the reigning Donkey Kong champion who stopped at nothing to protect his throne. I initially thought we might have found one in Ian Bishop, a former world champion and porridge-making legend who returns for another crack and is confident he\u2019ll win. But this \u201cman of mystery\u201d turns out to be pretty likable too.<\/p>\n I also wondered whether there\u2019d be any wild, revolutionary figures that upended tradition and blazed a mushy new path forward \u2013 the Jimi Hendrix of porridge cooking. Sadly not, though we do learn of a competitor who one year brought with him a deep fryer, which was considered \u201cdangerous\u201d and \u201ccrazy\u201d.<\/p>\n Momentum builds in the lead-up to the big day, when crowds pack into Carrbridge\u2019s modest community hall, where, for some reason, a whisky-tasting event is also taking place.<\/p>\n People involved in The Golden Spurtle tend to, quite adorably, emphasise their own importance: one of the kitchen crew assures us, with a cheeky wee gleam in her eyes, that this is \u201cthe boiler house of the world porridge championships\u201d, where all the important action takes place.<\/p>\n It\u2019s all very sweet and agreeable: a palate-pleasing celebration of the noble oat.<\/p>\n