Wassail!
In case you were wondering 'what's a Wassail?'
It is a ceremony traditionally held in orchards across the cider-making areas of England, on or around Old Twelfth Night - the 17th of January.
Believed to date back to Anglo-Saxon times, the term 'Wassail' comes from the toast or greeting 'Waes Hal!', literally meaning 'Be Healthy'.
Apple Tree Wassailing
Apple tree Wassailing involves visiting an orchard after dark with a pail or bowl of cider and any instrument that could be used to make a loud noise (in one village a volley of shotguns were used!). The Wassailers select one tree to represent the whole orchard, cider is poured over the roots, toast dipped in cider is hung from the branches (for the robin), and the local Wassail songs are sung to bless the tree. The ceremony ends with those present making as much noise as possible to scare off any evil spirits and to waken the trees from their winter slumber.
We're proud that our Orchard Wassail in Broadmoor Lane made it into a list of 170 wassails held in the UK in 2012-2013 in a book on Wassailing (Wassailing: Reawakening an Ancient Folk Custom, Cater & Cater, 2013). We welcome you to join us to keep this tradition alive.
Traditional wassailing songs
Our usual repetoire includes the Gloucestershire Wassail, Carhampton Wassailing Song, Belly Wassail and Stocklinch Wassail.
Apple cider
The mulled cider served at our 2015 Wassail was made from traditionally milled and pressed apples from the Orchard, Broadmoor Lane. Thanks to local cider connoisseur Tavis Walker for sharing the process of crushing and pressing the apples using the restored 100+ year old apple mill and apple press installed at his farm on Bailbrook Lane.