Then Goldilocks tasted the porridge in the little bowl and it was just right, neither too hot nor too cold. In fact she liked it so much that she ate it all up.
from Goldilocks and the Three Bears
retold and illustrated by James Marshall
1989 Caldecott Honor
Audiobook Weston Woods, 2004
read by Joyce Ebert
accessed on Libby 8/23/2026
On her walk in the woods, Goldilocks sees the home of a bear family and decides to enter uninvited. The bears were out on their own walk in the woods.
In response to her need for rest and food, Goldilocks finds Papa’s stuff at one extreme of the furniture, mattress, and porridge continuums, and Mama’s stuff at the other. Only in the middle did Goldilocks find things to be just right, especially the porridge. An essential concept in education, science, and psychology, it serves as an accessible visual for finding balance or aptness when considering options in our own lives.
A lot has been written about the Goldilocks Effect, the concept named for the main character in the familiar story. So much, in fact, that I feel a blog coming on.
But today’s post is about the porridge itself. Not the peas kind of porridge, traditionally made of cooked split peas, mashed with spices, and served hot. I'm talking about the kind made from oats or other grains.
World Porridge Day is October 10 each year.
In recognition of that special day, this year the annual Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship will be held on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
The event is hosted by an all-volunteer crew and supported by many valued sponsors. Begun as a way to call attention to the small town of Carrbridge, Scotland, and to the delicious versatility of the humble oat, creator of the competition, Roger Reed was quoted as saying, “it’s a very healthy food and we should make more people aware of this.”
The contest has grown since its beginning, Sunday, September 11, 1994. According to their official website, the event is now also held to “benefit local businesses by attracting visitors to Carrbridge at a time that falls outside the main tourism seasons.”
Amateurs and professionals cook side by side vying for the coveted Golden Spurtle. This year contestants will represent Scotland, of course, but also the USA, Australia, Turkey, Estonia and Canada.
Although the competition is limited to 30 contestants each year, the last year’s champion is invited to defend the title, and a place is guaranteed to any national champion from another county.
Each selected entrant must be ready to cook Traditional Porridge made from pinhead oatmeal, course, medium, or fine grained as well as a Speciality Porridge made from a pre-approved recipe and prepared at the same time as the Traditional Porridge.
The dishes are judged “on the consistency, taste and colour of the porridge and on the competitor’s hygiene in the cooking process.”
Also from the Competition Rules page, “Competitors are required to provide their own favorite porridge pan & spurtle etc. No cooking equipment is provided by the organisers.”
“What,” you might ask, “is a spurtle?” That’s a good question. And a rare word. (My spellcheck gave it a red squiggly underline.)
A spurtle is a wooden stirring utensil that was first created in Scotland in the 1400s. It’s about 11 inches long, round, and flat on the business end. A thistle, the national flower of Scotland, is often carved into the handle end.
A spurtle stirs without splashing and great for folding ingredients into a delicate batter. Although not the original purpose, a spurtle can reach to the bottom of a peanut butter jar and spread what comes out. And it’s stylish, to boot.
World Porridge Day occurs on October 10 each year. In recognition of that celebration, the Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship makes it a point to bring attention to child hunger. The 26th edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World was released by the World Health Organization (WHO) last month.
The report noted that although it is possible to reduce world hunger, the task is great. From the report cited above, the cost of a healthy diet continues to rise and that in five years “nearly 2.7 billion people may still be unable to afford a healthy diet.”
Even though the submission window for entries to compete for the Golden Spurtle is officially closed, it’s not too early or too late to gather your ingredients, pull out your pans, and dust off your spurtle. The time is just right to bring our own awareness to child hunger.
You might even want to help alleviate it by holding a contest of your own. Invite friends and neighbors to cook together and send a group donation to your local food bank or food pantry, or use Charity Navigator to find a worthwhile organization.
Or celebrate quietly with a lovely bowl of home cooked oats and your favorite toppings.
The 2026 Championship will be live streamed on October 3. You can catch the action by watching on Facebook or on YouTube.
I’m reading The Lost City of Z by David Grann (Vintage, 2009). Repeating the pattern of thousands of Europeans who searched and died in vain looking for El Dorado in the Amazon rain forest, Grann’s narrative nonfiction follows the explorer Percy Fawcett who, in 1925, also ventured out, convinced he’d find that the Amazon jungle could indeed support a flourishing civilization, he code-named "Z." Told with the tension of a modern thriller, Fawcett and his small group thrash their way farther and farther into the depth, until he closes in on the Brazilian-Bolivian border. (A movie based on the book was released in 2017.)
Be curious! (and eat a healthy breakfast)
from Goldilocks and the Three Bears
retold and illustrated by James Marshall
1989 Caldecott Honor
Audiobook Weston Woods, 2004
read by Joyce Ebert
accessed on Libby 8/23/2026
On her walk in the woods, Goldilocks sees the home of a bear family and decides to enter uninvited. The bears were out on their own walk in the woods.
In response to her need for rest and food, Goldilocks finds Papa’s stuff at one extreme of the furniture, mattress, and porridge continuums, and Mama’s stuff at the other. Only in the middle did Goldilocks find things to be just right, especially the porridge. An essential concept in education, science, and psychology, it serves as an accessible visual for finding balance or aptness when considering options in our own lives.
A lot has been written about the Goldilocks Effect, the concept named for the main character in the familiar story. So much, in fact, that I feel a blog coming on.
But today’s post is about the porridge itself. Not the peas kind of porridge, traditionally made of cooked split peas, mashed with spices, and served hot. I'm talking about the kind made from oats or other grains.
World Porridge Day is October 10 each year.
In recognition of that special day, this year the annual Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship will be held on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
The event is hosted by an all-volunteer crew and supported by many valued sponsors. Begun as a way to call attention to the small town of Carrbridge, Scotland, and to the delicious versatility of the humble oat, creator of the competition, Roger Reed was quoted as saying, “it’s a very healthy food and we should make more people aware of this.”
The contest has grown since its beginning, Sunday, September 11, 1994. According to their official website, the event is now also held to “benefit local businesses by attracting visitors to Carrbridge at a time that falls outside the main tourism seasons.”
Amateurs and professionals cook side by side vying for the coveted Golden Spurtle. This year contestants will represent Scotland, of course, but also the USA, Australia, Turkey, Estonia and Canada.
Although the competition is limited to 30 contestants each year, the last year’s champion is invited to defend the title, and a place is guaranteed to any national champion from another county.
Each selected entrant must be ready to cook Traditional Porridge made from pinhead oatmeal, course, medium, or fine grained as well as a Speciality Porridge made from a pre-approved recipe and prepared at the same time as the Traditional Porridge.
The dishes are judged “on the consistency, taste and colour of the porridge and on the competitor’s hygiene in the cooking process.”
Also from the Competition Rules page, “Competitors are required to provide their own favorite porridge pan & spurtle etc. No cooking equipment is provided by the organisers.”
“What,” you might ask, “is a spurtle?” That’s a good question. And a rare word. (My spellcheck gave it a red squiggly underline.)
A spurtle is a wooden stirring utensil that was first created in Scotland in the 1400s. It’s about 11 inches long, round, and flat on the business end. A thistle, the national flower of Scotland, is often carved into the handle end.
A spurtle stirs without splashing and great for folding ingredients into a delicate batter. Although not the original purpose, a spurtle can reach to the bottom of a peanut butter jar and spread what comes out. And it’s stylish, to boot.
World Porridge Day occurs on October 10 each year. In recognition of that celebration, the Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship makes it a point to bring attention to child hunger. The 26th edition of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World was released by the World Health Organization (WHO) last month.
The report noted that although it is possible to reduce world hunger, the task is great. From the report cited above, the cost of a healthy diet continues to rise and that in five years “nearly 2.7 billion people may still be unable to afford a healthy diet.”
Even though the submission window for entries to compete for the Golden Spurtle is officially closed, it’s not too early or too late to gather your ingredients, pull out your pans, and dust off your spurtle. The time is just right to bring our own awareness to child hunger.
You might even want to help alleviate it by holding a contest of your own. Invite friends and neighbors to cook together and send a group donation to your local food bank or food pantry, or use Charity Navigator to find a worthwhile organization.
Or celebrate quietly with a lovely bowl of home cooked oats and your favorite toppings.
The 2026 Championship will be live streamed on October 3. You can catch the action by watching on Facebook or on YouTube.
I’m reading The Lost City of Z by David Grann (Vintage, 2009). Repeating the pattern of thousands of Europeans who searched and died in vain looking for El Dorado in the Amazon rain forest, Grann’s narrative nonfiction follows the explorer Percy Fawcett who, in 1925, also ventured out, convinced he’d find that the Amazon jungle could indeed support a flourishing civilization, he code-named "Z." Told with the tension of a modern thriller, Fawcett and his small group thrash their way farther and farther into the depth, until he closes in on the Brazilian-Bolivian border. (A movie based on the book was released in 2017.)
Be curious! (and eat a healthy breakfast)
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