A “Spurtle” is a traditional Scottish kitchen utensil, renowned for being far superior to a spoon as it reduces the lumps in your porridge.
A traditional design, with a thistle shaped head and narrow tip which allows it to reach the corners of any pot, glide through the mixture, minimise splashing, and encourages gentle and consistent stirring in a way a spoon just can’t.
The Spurtle rush of Christmas 2025
The decision to write this blog came from what has been a busy period for us in Spurtle turning. For some reason that we don’t know they have been a popular item for gifting in recent months. Our spurtles have been winging their way all over the UK. While Spurtles are only a tiny part of what we do, they are among the most affordable items of our range. This rush on what started for us as a bit of a novelty in the workshop has become a source of joy to be shared, it turns out, much wider than we thought.
Thank you to everyone who has bought a spurtle from us!
How would I make a Porridge Spurtle?
A porridge spurtle is a fairly simple item to make - if you are equipped with a lathe and the ability to source or make blanks of the right dimensions.
Our spurtles are made from locally sourced Scottish timbers, and we make them 30cm in length, with a diameter at the head of the thistle of approximately 2 cm. We finish our spurtles with beeswax, but you could just as easily, and arguably more traditionally, leave them unfinished.
If you already have experience in wood turning you probably have enough from this information to get going and experiment with designs. If you don’t then a great place to start would be to search for wood-turning classes near you. Men’s sheds can be a great option for this sort of activity.
From there - have fun turning!
Where do I get a Porridge Spurtle
Many wood turners will make their own version of the Porridge Spurtle - consider looking and buying locally to you.
Or you can find ours on our web-shop. Locally sourced Scottish timber, finished with beeswax, and made to a high quality with love in our home workshop.
For further information in anything in our blogs feel free to get in touch.
Or reach out if you would like to find out more about commissioning your very own piece of custom handcrafted bespoke furniture: counters for business premises, kitchens, tables, cabinets, fitted bedrooms, chairs, beds, wardrobes, shelving, sgian dubhs, jewellery, wholesale gifts, and many more. Design visits can be organised throughout Tayside; Perthshire, Angus, Dundee, and Fife. Online consultations are available for those based further away in Scotland and the UK.