As the winter air fills with a crisp chill and the festive season reaches its pinnacle with Twelfth Night approaching, there's a centuries-old tradition that still warms the heart of many in the west of England: wassailing.

Wassailing is an ancient custom with a rich tapestry of history and tradition, deeply rooted in the colder months of the year, particularly around Christmas and New Year. The term "wassail" comes from the Old Norse "ves heil" and the Old English "was hál," meaning "be in good health" or "be whole" – which is, in essence, a toast. It is both a salutation and a simple expression of the hope for good fortune for our neighbours and ourselves.

Groups would gather in the orchards to sing to the apple trees, singing and reciting poems, and sharing a communal bowl of wassail – a hot mulled cider.

Originally, wassailing was more than just merrymaking; it was a ceremonial way to toast young cider-apple trees thanking them for their harvest in the hopes that they might better thrive and produce a good crop in the following year. This ritual, primarily practiced in cider-producing regions of England, involved singing and drinking the health of trees on the Twelfth Night to awaken their cider apple crops and to chase away spirits that might impede their growth. The ceremony could involve dousing the roots of the most prominent tree with cider or placing cider-soaked bread into the branches as offerings, all to invigorate the tree's spirit.

The practice is believed to ward off evil spirits and awake the tree spirits, ensuring that the next harvest would be plentiful. While we may not be orchard keepers, we may have an apple tree or two in the garden and we can appreciate the sentiment of celebrating nature's gifts and invoking good fortune for future harvests. The Forest of Dean where I live has its fair share of orchards. It’s certainly my kind of Apple Store.

Wassailers, the participants of this rite, would move from orchard to orchard carrying bowls of warm wassail – a mulled punch often made from cider and spices – singing traditional songs and conducting rituals. The drink itself was a concoction that could include mulled ale, curdled cream, roasted apples, eggs, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and sugar. It might even be flamed for effect and for a bit of theatre.

The folklore extends to human health and prosperity as well, with wassailers often visiting homes, singing and drinking to the health of those inside. In exchange, the wassailers would receive gifts of food and drink, in what might nowadays be seen as a forerunner to trick-or-treating. This aspect of the tradition embraced community spirit and goodwill.

Over time, this act of wassailing transformed into a more general winter-time drinking ritual, less about invigorating apple crops and more about togetherness. Modern wassailing has been more closely aligned with carolling at Christmas.

In present times, in some villages in the West Country in the UK, the practice continues in various forms—notably in folk gatherings, historic reenactments, community festivals, and modern agricultural ceremonies. Some regions crown a Wassail King and Queen to lead the songs and toast the trees with the assembled crowd.

I love the idea of wassailing, but the only problem is I rarely drink alcohol…

A Modern Twist: Raw Spiced Apple Juice

I have taken the essence of wassailing – the gratitude, joy, and connection to nature – and infused it into my own raw healthful practices by creating a raw spiced apple juice, a drink that can be shared in the spirit of wassail without the alcohol, refined sugars, or cooking processes that may diminish the nutrient content.

NOTES: 

Masticating juicers are the best choice of juicer to make this juice. They keep the juice stable and at a higher quality for longer than centrifugal juicers.

Pour warm (not boiling) water into your glass as you are heating the apple juice. It will raise the temperature of the glass and keep your drink warmer for longer. 

INGREDIENTS
Serves 4

1 litre (4 cups) of fresh apple juice (preferably from organic apples, juiced at home for maximum freshness)

The juice of 1 lemon

2 sticks of cinnamon

A little grating of nutmeg

2 cloves

1 star anise

a slice of fresh ginger 

METHOD

Juice the Apples: Start with juicing your apples. If you have a juicer, select the ripest, most aromatic apples you can find for a rich and flavourful base. For each serving, you'll want roughly one to two apples, depending on size, so adjust accordingly based on the size of your gathering.

Mixing in the Magic: In a saucepan, combine the fresh apple juice with the lemon juice. The lemon not only adds a zesty kick but also helps preserve the colour and freshness of the juice.

Spicing Things Up: Add the cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and star anise. These spices will impart a warm, comforting aroma reminiscent of traditional wassail.

Letting It Mingle:   Gently warm the juice and spices. Allow the mixture to sit for at least an hour at room temperature to let the flavours marry. The longer it rests, the more pronounced the spices will become.

Serving with Style: Pour the warmed spiced apple juice into decorative glasses or a communal bowl, garnishing with a cinnamon stick or a thin apple slice on the rim. Offer a toast or a traditional wassailing chant before sharing the juice among friends and family.

Why not give this fresh take on the timeless tradition of wassailing a go?

Here's to the apple trees, to wassailing, and to a year of abundant harvests and to our well-being.