A former winner of the World Porridge Making Championships is taking another tilt at the title with a new recipe he cooked up this week using ingredients from Fife.
Neal Robertson, who runs Tannochbrae Tearoom in Auchtermuchty, will compete at the 20th annual competition in Carrbridge on Saturday.
He had planned to enter an innovative “porridge crepe” but scrapped the idea after deciding it is too difficult to recreate on the day.
“Up against the clock, he opted to use the best local ingredients from Fife and perfected his new recipe on Tuesday.
Neal said: “I changed my mind completely on Monday, so I’m a bit nervous. I was going to do a porridge crepe but it will be too complicated to make on Saturday.
“So I’ll be ringing the changes this year, using a great new medium oatmeal grown in Fife for the Your Piece baking company.
“I’ll also be using the fabulous Anster cheddar in my speciality, Great Glen Game wild venison chorizo, along with shallots, garlic and mushrooms from my own garden.
“I tried it for the first time last night and I’m very pleased with the result, despite having only cooked it once. It’s very tasty, with great ingredients.”
There are several categories open to competitors on Saturday. The coveted Golden Spurtle will be awarded to the entrant who makes the best traditional porridge with untreated oatmeal, water and salt.
Awards will also be handed out for the best speciality porridge, which can have other ingredients added, and the People’s Choice.
Neal won the Golden Spurtle in 2010 and followed up his victory by winning the speciality category in 2011. He later had his titles tattooed on his arm.
He credits his success to a specially designed “spon” he carved from beechwood. A derivation of the spoon, the double-backed utensil is said to provide twice the power to mixing and beating.
Neal said: “When it comes to stirring your soup or stew or cake mix or porridge, the spon eliminates all that clogging.”
Last year’s World Porridge Making Championships saw Englishman Benedict Horsbrugh beat the Scots at their own game by stirring his way to victory. The speciality category was won by Californian Laurie Figone with her Italian Pinhead Torta.
This year’s judging panel is headed up by George McIvor from Master Chefs of Great Britain, who will be joined by Neil Mugg, head pastry chef at Gleneagles Hotel, and guest judge, BAFTA-winning TV presenter and journalist Cameron McNeish.
A spokesman for the competition said: “The championships are closely followed by connoisseurs of our national dish across the globe.
“Interest in this year’s competition is expected to be heightened, after the Golden Spurtle competition recently featured on BBC One show Britain’s Favourite Supermarket Foods.”