🇬🇧 Cullen
Cullen Skink World Championships
0 km
Cullen Skink World Championships - 2026
Past event
Stamp it in your soup passport.
Event Details
- Date & Time
- Sunday, March 01, 2026 · 10:30 am - 4:00 pm
- Location
- The Seafield Arms Hotel - Cullen, 17-19 Seafield St, Cullen, Buckie AB56 4SG, United Kingdom
- Price
- free for spectators, donations welcome
Programme
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10:30 am - 4:00 pm
The Grand Ballroom, Seafield Arms Hotel
Seafield Street, Cullen, AB56 4RR
Cullen Skink Traditional: competitors report by 10:00; preparation 10:30–11:15; soups served at 11:15; judging and People's Choice voting 11:15–12:45 (winner announced after the second competition). Lunch break in Cullen's shops and eateries. Cullen Skink with a Twist: competitors report by 12:45; preparation 13:30–14:15; soups served at 14:15; judging and People's Choice voting 14:15–15:15. Presentations 15:30–16:00: Andrew Simpson, Lord Lieutenant of Banffshire, announces the winners and presents the trophies. Judging panel: Jimmy Buchan, Alistair Fowlie, Amy Johnston, Louie Paterson. Sales stalls by Cullen Tourist Office and Intricate Designs.
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12-45
Cullen Skink with a Twist: all competitors must report to the organisers
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14-15
Cullen Skink with a Twist: each competitor must serve up their completed soup
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11-15 to 12-45
Cullen Skink Traditional: judging and People's Choice Award voting (winner not announced until after the second competition)
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Lunch break: visit Cullen's shops and eateries serving Cullen Skink
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13-30 to 14-15
Cullen Skink with a Twist: each competitor prepares their soup
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14-15 to 15-15
Cullen Skink with a Twist: judging and People's Choice Award voting
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15-30 – 16-00
Presentations: Andrew Simpson, Lord Lieutenant of Banffshire, announces the winners and presents the trophies
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About This Event
The Cullen Skink World Championships bring home cooks, amateurs and professional chefs together at the Seafield Arms Hotel's Grand Ballroom in Cullen, the birthplace of Cullen Skink, on Sunday 1 March 2026, 10:30 am to 4:00 pm. Two cook-offs (Traditional and With a Twist) with 12 entrants each, 45 minutes to cook, blind judging by a panel plus a People's Choice Award. Organised by Discover Cullen.
History
Cullen is the birthplace of Cullen Skink; the name is said to come from the Gaelic word for 'essence'. It was originally a broth of beef scrapings; hard times in the early 1890s led families to use plentiful smoked haddock (Cullen Harbour, completed 1819, was a thriving herring centre). In January 1999 BBC2's Food and Drink programme (presenter Michael Barry) filmed a competition among local housewives at the Seafield Arms Hotel; Mrs Mary Addison was crowned 'Queen of Cullen Skink'. 2025 results - Traditional: Judge's Award Lynne Watson (Lily's Kitchen Cafe, Cullen); People's Choice John McCruden (The Cafe at Logie Steading); Judge's Runner Up John McCruden. With a Twist: Judge's Award John McCruden; People's Choice Linsay McCallum (Hello Scotland); Judge's Runner Up Kellie Spooner (The Aberlour Hotel). Hall of Fame winners listed for 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2023, 2024 and 2025 (including Nigel Ross, Tracey Fuller, Neal Robertson, Ian Watson, Alex Grahame, Margaret Macrae, Lynne Watson, Luke Green, Kellie Spooner, Alison Taylor, Kai-Uwe Stutzkeitz).
On the menu
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Cullen Skink (Traditional)
By competitors
Competition category: Traditional Cullen Skink
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Cullen Skink with a Twist
By competitors
Competition category: Cullen Skink with a Twist
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Cullen Skink (lunch)
By Cullen Bay Hotel, Cullen Beach Burger Van, The Royal Oak Hotel, Linda’s Fish & Chips, The Rockpool Cafe, Lily’s Kitchen Cafe, The Yellow Deli, The New Denver, The Seafield Arms Hotel
On the menu at these Cullen eateries during the lunch break
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Traditional Cullen Skink
Who's who
Organised by
- Discover Cullen (sponsored by GT Sustainable Seafoods for 2027)
Also involved
- Jimmy Buchan Judge
- Alistair Fowlie Judge
- Amy Johnston Judge
- Louie Paterson Judge
- Andrew Simpson Lord Lieutenant of Banffshire; announces winners and presents trophies (15:30-16:00)
- Cullen Tourist Office Sales stall
- Intricate Designs Sales stall
- Seafield Arms Hotel Venue (Grand Ballroom)
Contacts
- [email protected] Questions about the competition
Good to know
- Free entry for spectators; no tickets required; donations welcomed.
- Spectators get to taste the Cullen Skink and vote for the People's Choice Award.
- Individual timings may be tweaked in the run-up to the event, but the overall 10.30am start and 4pm finish will not change.
- For lunch, visitors are invited to the local shops and eateries; Cullen Skink is on the menu at Cullen Bay Hotel, Cullen Beach Burger Van, The Royal Oak Hotel, Linda's Fish & Chips, The Rockpool Cafe, Lily's Kitchen Cafe, The Yellow Deli, The New Denver and The Seafield Arms Hotel.
- Questions about the competition: [email protected].
- Contestants can enter one or both categories (Traditional; With a Twist).
- Two cook-offs with 12 entrants in each; 45 minutes to cook.
- Individual timings may be tweaked; the overall 10:30 start and 4pm finish will not change.
- Sales stalls by Cullen Tourist Office and Intricate Designs.
Everything the announcement says
Every detail, as the festival announced it.
Cullen Skink World Championships 2026, Sunday 1 March 2026, 10:30 am - 4:00 pm, The Grand Ballroom, Seafield Arms Hotel, Seafield Street, Cullen AB56 4RR. FREE ENTRY for spectators, no tickets required, donations welcomed. Spectators get to taste the Cullen Skink. Home cooks, amateurs and professional chefs compete in two cook-offs with 12 entrants each, 45 minutes to cook; expert judges blind-taste; spectators vote for People's Choice. Organised by Discover Cullen. Categories: Traditional and With a Twist; entrants may enter one or both. Sales stalls: Cullen Tourist Office and Intricate Designs. Judges: Jimmy Buchan, Alistair Fowlie, Amy Johnston, Louie Paterson. Timings: Traditional - 10:00 report; 10:30-11:15 prepare; 11:15 serve; 11:15-12:45 judging and People's Choice voting; winner not announced until after the second competition. Lunch: Cullen Skink on the menu at Cullen Bay Hotel, Cullen Beach Burger Van, The Royal Oak Hotel, Linda's Fish & Chips, The Rockpool Cafe, Lily's Kitchen Cafe, The Yellow Deli, The New Denver, The Seafield Arms Hotel. With a Twist - 12:45 report; 13:30-14:15 prepare; 14:15 serve; 14:15-15:15 judging and voting. Presentations 15:30-16:00: Andrew Simpson, Lord Lieutenant of Banffshire, announces winners and presents trophies. Timings may be tweaked; 10:30 start and 4pm finish fixed. Questions: [email protected]. History and past winners as listed under history.
Festival information may be incomplete, out of date or wrong. Always check with the organizer before travelling.
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Location
The Seafield Arms Hotel - Cullen, 17-19 Seafield St, Cullen, Buckie AB56 4SG, United Kingdom
Confirm the venue and access information with the organizer before travelling.
Open in Google MapsPrices and tickets
- Free entry for spectators; no tickets required; donations welcomed
- Free
How to get tickets
- Free entry event for spectators. No tickets required – donations welcomed.