The annual custom of Wassailing the apple trees was carried out in Rose's orchard on Saturday, January 15th at 6 pm.
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This old English custom is performed to encourage a good crop of apples in the year to come. Gifts of toast and cider are given to a chosen tree in the orchard. The tree is saluted with a poem and wassail songs , encouraging it to fruit well.
| Then shotguns are fired over the tree to ward off evil from the orchard. | 
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| This year the gifts of toast, dipped in cider, were placed in the tree by Maxine and Hannah, our "Apple Maidens" |
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Our "Cider Boys", Matthew and Chris then poured a liberal quantity of cider around the foot of the tree. |
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We sang two wassail songs, accompanied by the
Bulbarrow Band.( Lorraine and Elspeth, violins with Mike and Helen,
guitars.)
Around 50 to 60 people were present, most of whom went on to
drink the mulled cider wassail at Michaelmas Cottage.
This was later followed by the singing of more wassail songs and the burning of the Ashen Faggots. It was a wonderful evening.