Here we come a-wassailing

On a cold, late February evening Alara Wholefoods and The London Orchard Project got together to stage the annual Alara Wassail. The event celebrates the medieval English drinking ritual intended to ensure a good apple cider apple harvest the following year.

Along with spiced cider on tap, there was ethically sourced food, live music and stalls giving out information on ethical buying, gardening and composting.

Alara’s ‘Dream Farm’, which sits on land adjoining its King’s Cross factory, includes an orchard with some 40 fruit trees. There’s also a small vineyard producing grapes for ‘Chateau King’s Cross’ – “perfect for drowning your sorrows,” notes Alara’s Alex Smith.