British Food and Travel

It may be a new year, but that doesn’t mean the festive season is completely over. After all, those twelve days of Christmas run until the Eve of Epiphany on January 5. This means there is still time for celebration, and in particular, for wassailing.

The word wassail comes from the Middle English woes hoeil, which in turn comes from the Old Norse phrase ves heill, meaning ‘to be in health’. Although wassail is often associated with the entire Christmas season, it was often said as a greeting to wish good health and blessings for the new year. In addition, people would share a flaggon of spiced cider. This is the drink we still know as wassail and is as popular as mulled wine at this time of year.

Wassailing is an ancient custom still practiced in many communities throughout England on Twelfth Night. For many, this is January 5, but some may still celebrate on January 17, based on the pre-Gregorian calendar. Traditionally, it took place in or near an apple orchard. The purpose of wassailing was two-fold. It was a means of celebrating the end of Christmas. It was also a blessing of both people and the orchards, that the coming twelve months would bring prosperity and a plentiful harvest.

The wassail ceremony takes place at dusk. A King and Queen are chosen and they lead the festivities, which includes music, singing, dancing, and of course drinking. The goal is to make as much noise as possible, to scare demons away from the trees. Revelers go from the orchard through the streets, from door to door, offering cups of warm ale and spreading wishes for good health.

Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green;
Here we come a-wand’ring
So fair to be seen.  

(Chorus of a Victorian Christmas carol)

Wassail Recipe

One early wassail recipe comes from the 1722 book Food in England by Dorothy Hartley. It is probably the only recipe we’ve seen that calls for a “suspicion of yeast”.

Take 1 lb. of brown sugar, 1 pint of hot beer, a grated nutmeg, and a large lump of preserved ginger root cut up. Add 4 glasses of sherry, and stir well. When cold, dilute with 5 pints of cold beer, spread suspicion of yeast on to hot slices of toasted bread, and let it stand covered for several hours. Bottle off and seal down, and in a few days it should be bursting the corks, when it should be poured out into the wassail bowl, and served with hot, roasted apples floating in it.

Some recipes call for the addition of egg yolks; others have sliced oranges floating on top of the steaming liquid; and some call for slices of toast which are dipped into the wassail.

4 pints cider

1 pint sherry

4 apples

8 whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick

8 oz brown sugar

1 orange

Bake the apples until soft (about 30 minutes) at Gas 4, 175C, or 350F. Mix the cider, sherry, cloves, cinnamon, sugar, and baked apples in a large pot. Warm but do not boil, using a spoon to squash the flesh out of the fruit. Leave to sit for an hour or so, allowing the flavours to meld. When reasdy to serve, strain the liquid and return to the pot. Warm once more, and serve in a large punch bowl with floating slices of orange.

Lamb’s Wool

A variant of wassail is lamb’s wool, so called because the apples burst during cooking, the fluffy flesh floating to the top of the spiced liquid. Ale is more likely to be used in lamb’s wool although cider can also be used if you prefer.

4 eating apples (Russets are a good choice.)

4 pints of brown ale or cider

6 cloves

1 tsp grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

3 allspice berries

1 cinnamon stick

2 tbs dark brown sugar

Bake the apples in a little of the ale for 30 minutes at Gas 6, 200C, or 400F. When done, the peels should have burst, revealing the titular lamb’s wool. Scoop the apple flesh out of the fruit, discarding the peel, pips, and core. Heat the ale with the spices and sugar in a large pan. Do not boil the liquid or you’ll lose the alcohol. Once hot (but not boiling) strain it into a large bowl. Top with the cooked apple, and serve with a spoon.