A weekend of food and drink with two very special events at St John the Baptist Church, Berkswell - building on the medieval custom of church ales.
Friday's Beer Festival
7.00-10.30pm, Friday 25th March
Building on the medieval tradition of ‘church ales’ successfully revived at Berkswell in recent years!
On Friday 25 March 2022, from 7-10.30 pm, join us for an evening of beer-tasting and conviviality in the beautiful church of St John the Baptist. The aim is to showcase the way in which food and drink can help to bring people together on religious and other festive occasions, an experience we have sorely missed during the Covid pandemic.
Entry: Tickets cost £10 per person, inclusive of 4 drinks tokens which can be exchanged for beer or non-alcoholic drinks; please register online.
Want to know more about ‘church ales’ - and why it is OK to stage a beer festival in a church? Take a look at this ▶ short video: 'Why hold a beer festival in a church?' (YouTube)
Saturday's Food Festival
10.30-3.30pm, Saturday 26th March
On Saturday 26th March 2022, from 10.30 am to 3.30 pm, the ‘Feast Food Fair’ will continue with a family-friendly focus on festive fare more generally. We are celebrating the ability to be together with a Food Feast Fair. Come join us to sample different food including Coventry God Cakes/Berkswell cheese alongside festive dishes from Slovakia/Poland/Italy and special drinks including historical hot chocolate and braggot (mead and beer). Fancy a more substantial meal? Sri-Lankan and British specialities will be available to buy, and drinks will include real ale. Bring the whole family, there will be talks on church ales, honey, hot chocolate as well as activities for children including candle making and biscuit decorating!
Joining the event are parishioners of different cultural backgrounds who will take part in a ‘share a plate’ event highlighting different festive dishes alongside University researchers from History and School of Life Sciences chatting about their research on ales, hot chocolate and medieval hangover cures!
Admission to the Saturday event is FREE but please REGISTER your attendance via the 'REGISTER' button on this page. There will be free samples; just pay for any food and drinks that you purchase directly at the stalls.
Feast Food Festival is part of the Resonate Festival run by the University of Warwick for Coventry UK City of Culture 2021. The event is co-organized by Warwick’s Global Research Priority of ‘Food’, the Spirit of Berkswell project and the Warwick Network for Parish Research.