Wassailing is the ancient tradition of blessing the orchards, the apple and pear trees, with singing and dancing by the light of burning torches to encourage fruitfulness and bounty in the year ahead. The word itself originates from “waes hael”, meaning ‘good health’ in both Old English and Old Norse. It's traditional to make lots of noise with pots and pans in order to banish bad spirits. Hanging of cider soaked bread in the trees is said to attract birds who then eat the bugs and beetles which might damage the trees.
Lots of traditional recipes are associated with Wassailing from mulled cider to sweet treats. Here's one we found on the Cider Museum website
Herefordshire Cider Cake
Ingredients (don't forget to look here for your ingredients!)
1 Sweet cider
4 oz (100 g) butter
6 oz (175 g) caster sugar
2 eggs
8 oz (225 g) self-raising flour
½ level teaspoon mixed spice
½ level teaspoon cinnamon
8 oz (220 g) currants
Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C), Mark 4. Line and grease the base and sides of a 7-inch cake tin.
Method
Grate the rind from the orange and squeeze out the juice. Make juice up to ¼ pint with cider. Cream the margarine and sugar in a bowl with the orange rind until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Sift the flour and spices together. Stir into the mixture with the currants and cider until mixed to a dropping consistency. Turn into the tin, smooth the top and bake in the oven for about 1 hour or until the cake feels firm to the touch and a warmed skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave cake to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before turning it out. Remove the paper and leave to finish cooling on a wire rack.
Taken from ‘Cider for All Seasons’ by Mary Berry Published in association with H P Bulmer Limited (1977)
Join in at a Wassail this year!
The Monkland Arms Wassail
On Saturday, January 18, visitors can gather at the Monkland Arm's car park, ready for the village's yearly wassail.
From 6pm, the evening will be filled with antics at the village hall, with a torchlit procession to the orchard.
The Crown’s Wassailing Party, Woolhope
On Saturday, January 18, the Crown Pub in Woolhope will host a wassail in support of St Michael's Hospice.
The event is free to attend, but visitors are asked to donate to the hospice in place of buying a ticket.
Visitors are encouraged to bring pots and pans to bang and clatter at 5pm in the procession.
Once the trees are blessed and spirits safely scared away, guests can head back to the pub for their choice of hog roast or chilli, And there’ll be a fair share of mulled cider waiting too.
More Links to the history of Wassailing:
Great article by Kate Gathercole HERE