Risking Scotland's wrath, an Aussie competitive porridge-maker shares his secrets
The result was the Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship, a charmingly offbeat event that has stirred up enough attention to put Carrbridge on the culinary map, while giving one of the world's humblest breakfast foods a moment in the spotlight.
Three decades on, the competition continues to draw oat obsessives from around the globe, who compete in gruelling heats in pursuit of the perfect bowl of porridge. The winner takes home the Golden Spurtle, a trophy shaped like the traditional Scottish stirring stick used to smooth out lumps in oatmeal.
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Among past contenders is Toby Wilson, executive chef at Sydney's Norfolk Hotel and founder of Ricos Tacos, a 2025 Good Food Guide Critic's Pick restaurant. Wilson has twice reached the finals, representing Australia in 2022 and 2023, and features in The Golden Spurtle, a documentary now screening in this year's Sydney Film Festival.
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Sydney Morning Herald
15 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Rural revolt: Jeremy Clarkson leads a very British backlash against JD Vance
'My wheat got wet in the trailer last night as the convo (sic) stopped me in the rain in chippy,' he wrote on Instagram, adding: 'I could have easily got it in the shed without getting in the way.' Cooper questioned why the vice president did not drive around in a nondescript small car, saying: 'Nobody would know who he was.' Other Cotswold residents have claimed to have been 'sealed off' by the guarded checkpoints of the vice president's holiday hamlet. 'JD Vance has taken over my village – send help,' Jonathan Mazower told The London Telegraph. 'We've been completely sealed off from the outside world.' Mazower and his family live in Dean, which is temporarily adrift during the vice president's visit. Vance, who is travelling with his wife, Usha, and children Ewan, eight, Vivek, five, and Mirabel, three, met Robert Jenrick, the Tory shadow justice secretary, at his Cotswold retreat. The Vance family is expected to round off their British summer tour with a visit to Scotland this week. Police have been seen scouring the grounds of the Carnell Estates in East Ayrshire, while a police car was parked across the entrance to the mansion on Tuesday. Carnell, which is owned by Michael Findlay and has been in family hands since the 1300s, was rented by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in 2011 while the latter filmed World War Z in Glasgow. The 10-bedroom country house is set within 2000 acres, which offers shooting, fishing and tennis, while golf is also close by. Vance is expected to fly into Prestwick Airport, which is a 15-minute drive away from Carnell, in the coming days. Airspace restrictions have already been put in place around the Carnell Estate, preventing unauthorised aircraft and drones from flying over the site without official permission until midnight on Sunday, according to air traffic control provider NATS. Loading Mazower said the vice president's arrival in the Cotswolds had made 'a lot of people very angry,' both for the circus and baggage it has brought. 'It's the inconvenience but also, who it is in aid of,' the 59-year-old said, adding: 'This area is well-used to having politicians and celebrities around – people are generally very live and let live – but the fact this huge upheaval is for an appalling politician has got people very angry.' Mazower took issue with the way in which Vance sought to 'humiliate' Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, in the Oval Office and the vice-president 'lecturing to Europe on freedom of speech while deporting any foreign student who stands up for Gaza'. He voiced concern that the vice president was 'demolishing the foundations of liberal democracy as he and Trump drive the US along the path to fascism'. Dozens of police officers have been stationed on roadblocks at either end of the only lane in and out of the hamlet, where cars are searched with sniffer dogs and IDs are checked. A large antenna has been erected behind the manor house, and a no-fly zone has been put in place around the area. Vance travelled to the property in a 19-vehicle motorcade accompanied by a helicopter. Mazower, who is the communications director for the charity Survival International, said the lockdown had made meaningful protest nigh-on impossible. 'Those of us who feel obliged to make some kind of protest, however token, have stuck posters in our gardens, in the probably vain hope he sees them as he speeds past,' he said. 'Dance against Vance' The Stop Trump Coalition (STC) organised a peaceful protest against Vance's visit on Tuesday afternoon in Charlbury. Nearly 100 people held aloft homemade signs as they gathered in the dappled light on the common. Balloons and cake were dolled out for what was described as a Vance Not Welcome Party, while organisers from STC led chants over a megaphone. 'From Ukraine to Palestine, occupation is a crime,' the townsfolk bellowed, before a call and response of 'JD Vance, Shame on You'. Juliette Crisp, from Charlbury, penned a sign which read: 'Not too posh to protest.' 'I am fed up with the idea that Charlbury is posh,' the 63-year-old said, explaining that there were deprived areas which are too often lost in the conversation around the Cotswolds being the Hamptons of the UK. She added: 'It is all well and good to say he is on holiday, but if you are the vice president, you carry your baggage with you, and you have to be held accountable.' 'UK is not a playground' Jake Atkinson, from STC, said just three organisers had come up from London, and the rest of the participants were locals. 'We are thrilled to be here supporting residents,' he said, adding: 'Governments need to be acting in the interests of the people, not the billionaires. Loading 'The UK is not a playground for Trump to come golfing or Vance to come on a holiday and have meetings.' The banners took aim at Vance's encounter with Zelensky, climate change and Palestine. 'JD Vance – the guy who bullied a war hero from the comfort of his couch,' one sign read. The dance against Vance came after Dolly Mavies, a folk-rock singer-songwriter, and her band backed out of a gig after realising they were about to entertain Vance. The singer, whose real name is Molly Davies, claimed they hadn't been made aware that the vice president would be in attendance. 'Not being fans of his, we decided that wasn't for us, packed up our stuff and left,' she later said in a video on Instagram, adding: 'Morals are more important than money.' A campaign group called Everyone Hates Elon has also organised for a van with an electronic billboard depicting an unflattering meme of Mr Vance to be driven around the Cotswolds. The group, which was previously responsible for driving a billboard of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein around Scotland for the president's visit, raised more than £4,500 for the stunt. Mazower said Vance's decision to visit Dean hadn't come as a total surprise as 'this corner of the Cotswolds has changed beyond recognition'. He charted the transformation back to the arrival of Daylesford Organic, Lady Bamford's retail empire. He said the advent of members-only Soho Farmhouse and Estelle Manor, where Steve Jobs's daughter had her wedding party last month, had heralded a resurgent 'Chipping Norton set'. The Bull in Charlbury, an outpost of Notting Hill's The Pelican, and Jeremy Clarkson's Diddly Squat farm shop have also become incredibly popular. Loading But Mazower insisted that behind the Hollywood fairytale lies deep hardship and desperation, which is too often overlooked. 'House prices have soared, and for many local people the idea of getting a foot on the housing ladder is an unobtainable fantasy,' he said, adding: 'The local schools and health services are desperately underfunded. 'The few remaining family farms in the area will be forced to sell up once the government's changes to inheritance tax become law. 'There is real hardship and deprivation behind the media stories of the area whose latest description, apparently, is the 'Hamptons of England'.' Vance is staying in a Cotswold manor house set in six acres of garden dating back to around 1702. It was bought by Johnny and Pippa Hornby in 2017, who later submitted planning proposals for a basement gym, second cellar and an orangery. The owner of the manor accommodating Vance has apologised to neighbours for bringing the 'circus' to town. In a message seen by The Telegraph, they told neighbours they were 'so sorry for the circus that is there for the next few days'.
The Age
15 minutes ago
- The Age
Rural revolt: Jeremy Clarkson leads a very British backlash against JD Vance
'My wheat got wet in the trailer last night as the convo (sic) stopped me in the rain in chippy,' he wrote on Instagram, adding: 'I could have easily got it in the shed without getting in the way.' Cooper questioned why the vice president did not drive around in a nondescript small car, saying: 'Nobody would know who he was.' Other Cotswold residents have claimed to have been 'sealed off' by the guarded checkpoints of the vice president's holiday hamlet. 'JD Vance has taken over my village – send help,' Jonathan Mazower told The London Telegraph. 'We've been completely sealed off from the outside world.' Mazower and his family live in Dean, which is temporarily adrift during the vice president's visit. Vance, who is travelling with his wife, Usha, and children Ewan, eight, Vivek, five, and Mirabel, three, met Robert Jenrick, the Tory shadow justice secretary, at his Cotswold retreat. The Vance family is expected to round off their British summer tour with a visit to Scotland this week. Police have been seen scouring the grounds of the Carnell Estates in East Ayrshire, while a police car was parked across the entrance to the mansion on Tuesday. Carnell, which is owned by Michael Findlay and has been in family hands since the 1300s, was rented by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in 2011 while the latter filmed World War Z in Glasgow. The 10-bedroom country house is set within 2000 acres, which offers shooting, fishing and tennis, while golf is also close by. Vance is expected to fly into Prestwick Airport, which is a 15-minute drive away from Carnell, in the coming days. Airspace restrictions have already been put in place around the Carnell Estate, preventing unauthorised aircraft and drones from flying over the site without official permission until midnight on Sunday, according to air traffic control provider NATS. Loading Mazower said the vice president's arrival in the Cotswolds had made 'a lot of people very angry,' both for the circus and baggage it has brought. 'It's the inconvenience but also, who it is in aid of,' the 59-year-old said, adding: 'This area is well-used to having politicians and celebrities around – people are generally very live and let live – but the fact this huge upheaval is for an appalling politician has got people very angry.' Mazower took issue with the way in which Vance sought to 'humiliate' Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, in the Oval Office and the vice-president 'lecturing to Europe on freedom of speech while deporting any foreign student who stands up for Gaza'. He voiced concern that the vice president was 'demolishing the foundations of liberal democracy as he and Trump drive the US along the path to fascism'. Dozens of police officers have been stationed on roadblocks at either end of the only lane in and out of the hamlet, where cars are searched with sniffer dogs and IDs are checked. A large antenna has been erected behind the manor house, and a no-fly zone has been put in place around the area. Vance travelled to the property in a 19-vehicle motorcade accompanied by a helicopter. Mazower, who is the communications director for the charity Survival International, said the lockdown had made meaningful protest nigh-on impossible. 'Those of us who feel obliged to make some kind of protest, however token, have stuck posters in our gardens, in the probably vain hope he sees them as he speeds past,' he said. 'Dance against Vance' The Stop Trump Coalition (STC) organised a peaceful protest against Vance's visit on Tuesday afternoon in Charlbury. Nearly 100 people held aloft homemade signs as they gathered in the dappled light on the common. Balloons and cake were dolled out for what was described as a Vance Not Welcome Party, while organisers from STC led chants over a megaphone. 'From Ukraine to Palestine, occupation is a crime,' the townsfolk bellowed, before a call and response of 'JD Vance, Shame on You'. Juliette Crisp, from Charlbury, penned a sign which read: 'Not too posh to protest.' 'I am fed up with the idea that Charlbury is posh,' the 63-year-old said, explaining that there were deprived areas which are too often lost in the conversation around the Cotswolds being the Hamptons of the UK. She added: 'It is all well and good to say he is on holiday, but if you are the vice president, you carry your baggage with you, and you have to be held accountable.' 'UK is not a playground' Jake Atkinson, from STC, said just three organisers had come up from London, and the rest of the participants were locals. 'We are thrilled to be here supporting residents,' he said, adding: 'Governments need to be acting in the interests of the people, not the billionaires. Loading 'The UK is not a playground for Trump to come golfing or Vance to come on a holiday and have meetings.' The banners took aim at Vance's encounter with Zelensky, climate change and Palestine. 'JD Vance – the guy who bullied a war hero from the comfort of his couch,' one sign read. The dance against Vance came after Dolly Mavies, a folk-rock singer-songwriter, and her band backed out of a gig after realising they were about to entertain Vance. The singer, whose real name is Molly Davies, claimed they hadn't been made aware that the vice president would be in attendance. 'Not being fans of his, we decided that wasn't for us, packed up our stuff and left,' she later said in a video on Instagram, adding: 'Morals are more important than money.' A campaign group called Everyone Hates Elon has also organised for a van with an electronic billboard depicting an unflattering meme of Mr Vance to be driven around the Cotswolds. The group, which was previously responsible for driving a billboard of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein around Scotland for the president's visit, raised more than £4,500 for the stunt. Mazower said Vance's decision to visit Dean hadn't come as a total surprise as 'this corner of the Cotswolds has changed beyond recognition'. He charted the transformation back to the arrival of Daylesford Organic, Lady Bamford's retail empire. He said the advent of members-only Soho Farmhouse and Estelle Manor, where Steve Jobs's daughter had her wedding party last month, had heralded a resurgent 'Chipping Norton set'. The Bull in Charlbury, an outpost of Notting Hill's The Pelican, and Jeremy Clarkson's Diddly Squat farm shop have also become incredibly popular. Loading But Mazower insisted that behind the Hollywood fairytale lies deep hardship and desperation, which is too often overlooked. 'House prices have soared, and for many local people the idea of getting a foot on the housing ladder is an unobtainable fantasy,' he said, adding: 'The local schools and health services are desperately underfunded. 'The few remaining family farms in the area will be forced to sell up once the government's changes to inheritance tax become law. 'There is real hardship and deprivation behind the media stories of the area whose latest description, apparently, is the 'Hamptons of England'.' Vance is staying in a Cotswold manor house set in six acres of garden dating back to around 1702. It was bought by Johnny and Pippa Hornby in 2017, who later submitted planning proposals for a basement gym, second cellar and an orangery. The owner of the manor accommodating Vance has apologised to neighbours for bringing the 'circus' to town. In a message seen by The Telegraph, they told neighbours they were 'so sorry for the circus that is there for the next few days'.
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Abbie Chatfield has last laugh after Brit's parking fumble
A British woman has been served a dose of karma after committing a parking faux pas on an Australian media star's property. Media sensation Abbie Chatfield took to social media on Sunday to recount the 'crazy interaction' she had on her Bondi driveway to her 667,000 followers. The star had left to take her dog for a walk when she noticed a woman in a Mazda had parked an inch away from her car, with the Mazda's backend 'halfway over the driveway'. 'Literally, you could not get a car out at all,' the It's A Lot podcast host told her followers. Chatfield said she felt compelled to approach the woman about the parking job as she had previously heard 'people from England park recklessly'. 'She's not from here, I thought she was confused,' she explained as the motivation behind letting the woman know the move was illegal. Instead of acknowledging the parking blunder and moving her vehicle, Chatfield said the British woman instead became increasingly angry in response. 'She was yelling 'I didn't ask you'…. I told her I didn't want to fight (her). 'I said, 'Babes, people live in this apartment building, they have 4WDs and utes'.' She told the woman it was a 'nightmare' to get out of the driveway, which was reportedly met with laughter and refusal to move — a reaction the Bachelor alumnus took a moment to directly address. 'Why are you laughing that you're committing a crime? Why are you laughing that you're being incredibly disrespectful, blocking someone's driveway, and yelling at a stranger? 'You obviously have no respect for our garden and no respect for our footpath.' Chatfield got the last laugh, however — taking to social media with a follow-up video later that day showing the Mazda's driver received their karma in the form of a $330 fine. 'Well, well, well…. I tried to warn her,' the star joked while showing the ranger ticket underneath the car's wiper. The comments were just as happy as Chatfield to see the woman had gotten fined for the act. 'Karmas so swift sometimes!' one follower wrote. 'This is so incredibly cathartic,' another agreed. Another commenter chimed in: 'Oof $330 is a big fine too, she's going to regret that!' Even Aussie comedian Matt Hey jumped in, saying the payback 'was everything'. Blocking a driveway is illegal in all Australian states. If a parked vehicle obstructs access to a driveway, fines between $100 and $590 apply depending on local council policies. PerthNow reached out to Abbie Chatfield's representatives, however, did not receive a response.
