Spurtle

[Hoodoo]

Sorry about the brushshaft comment, but honestly, I'd never seen one like that until I was adult and had been shopping in a Tourist shop for a present for a friend abroad.

I actually asked the lady what they were

It's a stick spatula thing really. It's meant to get into the edges of the pot as well as across the base to stop the porridge sticking and going lumpy. It's not a big thing, it's a neat tool. It's good for custard too and polenta, and quinoa.
In the days when sawn timber took a lot of effort folks rarely made our modern cheaply purchased wide wooden spatulas for domestic use.
A bannock spade was made of metal usually, though the big bread ovens in big houses, etc., did have wooden ones.
Timber was not always freely available, and was never cheap in the UK, especially since fuel was at a premium. These little spurtles are easily carved from a small branch, a fallen stick or the like. Like the love spoons, it kept hands busy

M

Well, I was gonna ask what is a spurtle but you answered it. Good wood carving project.

 

[tombear]

Found my next little project in "Traditional food in Yorkshire", it would seem that over there they call a porridge Spurtle a thible...

i know know it would be made to the size of the pot but since I don't yet have a big cast iron pot to work from, from the one in the pic how big do you reckon that example is?

Should take very little time at all once I've found a suitable bit of wood, which is always the awkward bit for me.

atb

tom

 

[Fraxinus]

If the image is near to scale I'd hazard a guess that it was between 9 and 12 inches but would base any on the size of your 1 gallon porridge pot
I like the word 'thible' in conjunction with 'spurtle'......there could be a Blackadder sketch therein

Rob.

 

[bigbear]

Yorkshire West riding born and bred, its a spurtle, not a bloomin thrible !

 

[Toddy]

Aye, and it's a flat one too

The wee cauldron is about the size of a baking bowl. Mind a normal plastic bucket holds three gallons, so scale that down.

M

 

[tombear]

Hay, take it up with the writer, Peter Brears.

I want no trouble with thribles

I'll get me coat.....

 

[RobR]

And off topic, that porridge pot is the same as a potjie pot us South Africans use for making potjiekos

 

[Muddypaws]

Found my next little project in "Traditional food in Yorkshire", it would seem that over there they call a porridge Spurtle a thible.

Interesting that it is called a thible in Yorkshire, I had not heard that before. When I made a turned spurtle for a Scottish friend (originally from Dunfermline, now resident in Perthshire) he told me that it was sometimes known as a "thievel" (not sure if the spelling is right, as it was spoken). Obviously the word shares the same etymological root, which probably means that thible has Scottish origins.

 

[Totumpole]

I just stick the traditional style oats and some milk in the microwave for 2 mins once out and cooled for a bit stir and eat, no pot to clean taste's good to me.

But do you take the microwave out camping? okenest:
I'll argue the contrary, eat it out the pot and there is no bowl to clean!

 

[tombear]

Found the piece of green lime I'd roughed out and trimmed it down to make a porridge stirrer. In the end I couldn't be having with any decoration and just made it smooth and easy to clean. I've put a coat of walnut oil on and will repeat.

atb

Tom

 

[Herbalist1]

I like that - often I think simple looks more elegant than lots of elaborate decoration.

 

[Wayland]

Typical of that Yorkshire mob to call a spade a shovel.

Westmorland born and it's always been a Spurtle where I came from.

I've picked up a fair variety of them over the years, mostly round but a couple of flatties.

 

[tombear]

Just put the first coat of food grade linseed oil on the beech handle ( second attempt, a messed up the first hammering it off after a test fit of the tang in the hole ) I turned for it. Ok not a direct copy of the original but my hands a lot bigger than the average stunted 18th century cottager! The handles scaled up and I used the pilot hole , split, carve out the holes for the tang, glue back together method that someone suggested.

Normally I soak the handle for 24 hrs in boiled linseed oil but with with this being for food use and me being cautious about the glue, ( glues really as I used the water proof alp' resin stuff to put the handle back together and the pine tar and charcoal stuff BR gave me to seal the slot and glue the blade in ) I'll apply several light coats instead.

I'm pretty happy with it.

ATB

Tom

Oh Grud! I've just realised how phalic the handle looks! D'oh!

Finally got the girdle on the stove to make some potato cakes ( with finely chopped spring onions and crispy bacon chopped up small, had two for second breakfast ) and used this and it's better than my modern short plastic handled palette knives with flat blades. The slightly lens section ( still blunt) snags much less when slipping it under and the extra width makes it easier to flip wider things.

I got got some buttermilk in so will probable do something risen and sweet for the lads tea later.

ATB

Tom