Watercress. kar0329 / Pixabay.com / 2019 / CC0 1.0
The Alresford Watercress Festival happens annually in May in Alresford, Hampshire, England.
Alresford, which is 5 miles (8 km) from Winchester City centre, calls itself the “capital of watercress”. The area around Alresford has abundant fresh, spring water, and fast-flowing streams, making it ideal for watercress cultivation. The cress is now grown year-round in purpose-made beds fed by the spring water.
The day comes at the start of National Watercress Week, which marks the start of the English watercress growing season.
The festival runs in the morning and afternoon.
A Watercress King and Queen are appointed, who lead a parade to get the fair going.
There are bands, face painting booths for kids, street entertainers, demonstrations of cooking with watercress, Morris dancers, vendor stalls, refreshment stands and trucks, as well as the “World Watercress Eating Competition.”
You can sample special products such as watercress beer, watercress ice cream, watercress pesto, and watercress burgers.
An award is given to the person who comes up with the most “awesome use of watercress”.
Visitors can ride on the Watercress line steam railroad.
#watercressfestival @watercressfest
Alresford Watercress Festival. Crowds on Broad Street. Colin Smith / geograph.org.uk / 2015 / CC BY-SA 2.0
Website: https://www.watercressfestival.org/
Alresford town web site: http://www.alresford.org/
The Watercress Line Railroad: https://watercressline.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/watercressfest
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WatercressFestival/
See also: Watercress, Garlic Cress, Persian Cress, Upland Cress
Alresford Watercress Festival. Crowds on Broad Street. Colin Smith / geograph.org.uk / 2015 / CC BY-SA 2.0
Recipes
- Recipes from the Watercress Festival
- Fennel, Watercress & Walnut Salad
- Watercress and Broadbean Pesto
- Watercress, Spinach and Rocket Pesto
History
The festival started in 2004. [1]Watercress Festival fun returns to town. Farnham, Surrey: The Farnham Herald. 19 May 2018. Accessed October 2021 at https://www.farnhamherald.com/article.cfm?id=126940
The festival was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic; a virtual version was held in 2021.
Alresford Watercress Festival. Watercress stall on Broad Street. Colin Smith / geograph.org.uk / 2017 / CC BY-SA 2.0
Sources
Jackson, Mark Bibby. Alresford Watercress Festival 2022, UK. Travel Beings at 40.
Watercress Festival fun returns to town. Farnham, Surrey: The Farnham Herald. 19 May 2018. Accessed October 2021 at https://www.farnhamherald.com/article.cfm?id=126940
Alresford Watercress Festival. Morris dancers. Colin Smith / geograph.org.uk / 2015 / CC BY-SA 2.0
References
| ↑1 | Watercress Festival fun returns to town. Farnham, Surrey: The Farnham Herald. 19 May 2018. Accessed October 2021 at https://www.farnhamherald.com/article.cfm?id=126940 |
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