The word “porridge” to me evokes something modest and satisfying: mouthfuls of reliable pleasantness in a terribly volatile world. How lovely that The Golden Spurtle – Constantine Costi’s charming documentary about the world’s annual porridge-making championship in the Scottish village of Carrbridge – has assumed some of the qualities of the dish. It isn’t flashy (and certainly doesn’t scream “must-watch”) but, like a good ol’ fashioned bowl of well-cooked oats, it’s got it where it counts.
This film is a pleasure to watch – 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 seriesRosehaven: sometimes it’s just nice to escape into a fresh air-filled world with refreshingly low stakes. Even if the competitors, gawd luv ’em, treat the competition very seriously.
The Golden Spurtle is also lovely to look at. It’s 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’s 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.
Early moments introduce places in and around Carrbridge – including a pub and a cemetery – 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 “burning with desire” to triumph after having made the finals several times.
I wondered whether we’d meet the equivalent of a moustache-twirling villain: someone comparable perhaps to the cocksure Billy Mitchell from the video game documentaryKing of Kong: Fistful of Quarters– 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’ll win. But this “man of mystery” turns out to be pretty likable too.
I also wondered whether there’d be any wild, revolutionary figures that upended tradition and blazed a mushy new path forward – 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 “dangerous” and “crazy”.
Momentum builds in the lead-up to the big day, when crowds pack into Carrbridge’s modest community hall, where, for some reason, a whisky-tasting event is also taking place.
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 “the boiler house of the world porridge championships”, where all the important action takes place.
It’s all very sweet and agreeable: a palate-pleasing celebration of the noble oat.
The Golden Spurtleis showing at Sydney film festival on 7, 14 and 15 June and will get a general Australian release later this year. A UK release has yet to be announced.