They say nothing in life is free, but in the UK, that might not be entirely true! Throughout history, the UK has developed some unique traditions that allow lucky individuals to acquire free food. 2020 was a trying year, so here’s a list of ten crazy ways to get free food in the UK.
St Briavels
Forget the typical church cracker and wine; in St Briavels, you might get pelted with bread and cheese! Each year, a vicar delivers a sermon, and if the congregation cheers, a tradition dating back to the 12th century commences. Locals atop the Pound Wall toss cubes of bread and cheese to Dole Claimers below.
Some use umbrellas to catch the falling food. Oddly, most don’t eat it, but preserve it as a good luck charm. Miners once believed it prevented mine collapses. Today, the cubes are placed in matchboxes under pillows for good dreams.
Farthing Loaf Day
Many British food distributions originated from wills, ensuring the benefactor is fondly remembered. In Kidderminster, a widow on Church Street left money to foster community spirit. While her name’s forgotten, her legacy lives on.
On Midsummer Eve, those born on the street enjoyed a feast known as Farthing Loaf Day. Later, John Brecknell added tuppenny plum-cake for children and unmarried women, plus pipes, tobacco, and ale for the men. The traditional toast? “Peace and Good Neighbourhood!” Food definitely makes people more neighborly.
Tichborne Dole
In the 13th century, Lady Mabella Tichborne asked her husband to distribute food to the poor as she lay dying. He agreed, but only offered land for corn that she could crawl around while holding a burning torch.
Miraculously, she covered 23 acres, now known as the Crawls. This land still provides flour for the Tichborne Dole, given out every Lady Day (March 25th). Originally loaves were given, but today, attendees receive flour to bake with. Lady Mabella supposedly cursed the family: if the Dole ceased, the family would die out and the house would fall. When it was cancelled in the 18th century due to rowdiness, part of the house collapsed, and it was quickly reinstated. The Tichborne name endures.
Scrambling Cakes
Back in 1367, if you lived in Twickenham, you might get free peas or beans. This tradition stopped, but a tastier one began: two “great cakes” tossed to the poor each Easter Sunday. However, chaos often ensued as crowds fought over the cakes.
The Parliament of 1645 banned the tradition due to the disorder; they didn’t see fighting over cake crumbs as a holy way to celebrate Jesus. They suggested ordinary bread loaves instead, which made for a quieter celebration. A later tradition involved a vicar climbing a church tower and throwing bread loaves to children below, who scrambled for the food in a more orderly fashion.
Wayfarers’ Charity
If free food is good, free booze is better! Travelers in Britain once expected charity in most towns and villages. Religious institutions fed and housed people. After the monasteries dissolved, this tradition mostly disappeared.
However, in Winchester, the Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty, founded in the 1130s, still offers bread and beer to anyone who asks at the Porter’s Lodge. Or, you could become one of the 25 brothers of the house who receive reduced rent and a subsidized two-course lunch.
Butterworth Dole
At St Bartholomew’s Church in Smithfield, London, 21 widows once received sixpence each Good Friday. The tradition’s origins are unknown, as church paperwork burned in the Great Fire of 1666.
Over time, fewer widows claimed their coin, and the charity waned. In the 19th century, G.W. Butterworth revived it, distributing money and food to poor widows. When the widows again dwindled, the charity switched to giving out free Hot Cross Buns – a traditional British Easter treat. Poor widows are still welcome to attend and receive the sixpence equivalent, about 20 pence today.
Beating the Bounds in Leighton Buzzard
In 1630, Edward Wilkes built 10 almshouses to shelter the poor in memory of his father, John. Upon his death, Edward requested that beer and bread be distributed every Rogation Tide, originating the tradition of Wilkes Walk.
Rogation Days are often marked by ‘beating the bounds,’ where a procession walks around the parish borders to maintain the memory of the boundaries. On Rogation Monday in Leighton Buzzard, a procession leaves All Saints Church, passes the almshouses, and enters the market square. While the Clerk reads Edward Wilke’s will, a choirboy is hoisted by his ankles.
Buns and beer were once handed out, but the beer made the event too festive. Then, it was buns and lemonade at the market cross. This stopped in 1896 when thousands of buns were consumed and the ladies of the parish couldn’t keep up. Now, the buns are given out in church.
Bull Baiting
Sometimes charity, however well-intended, can cause harm. When George Staverton died in 1661, he left money for the poor of Wokingham to receive beef and leather. Unfortunately, several animals had to die cruelly to make it happen. Being a butcher, Staverton left a bloody legacy.
Each year before Christmas, two bulls were paraded through town to announce the spectacle. The bulls weren’t just slaughtered; they were baited. Bull baiting, a popular activity, pitted tethered bulls against dogs in brutal fights. Many dogs died before the bulls eventually succumbed to their wounds. Then, their meat was given to the hungry. The tradition was finally suppressed in 1821. The meat continued to be given out, but butchers dispatched the bulls, not dogs.
Thomasing
Thomasing, a tradition widespread on St Thomas’ Day (December 23rd), helped people celebrate Christmas in style. Also known as ‘Gooding,’ ‘Corning,’ ‘Doleing,’ ‘Washaeling,’ ‘Christmasing,’ ‘Gathering,’ and ‘Mumping’ (from the Saxon ‘Mompen,’ meaning ‘to beg’).
Thomasing involved groups of women going house to house, begging for small amounts of food. Sometimes they received flour or other ingredients for pudding, or fresh fruits and vegetables. The most popular gifts were alcohol. The tradition has mostly died out, but some recall it in the 1990s: “This old lass went mumping for spuds, the farmer told her to clear off. So she said ‘You might not get a good crop next year’. The funny thing was, he didn’t.”
Cheese Rolling
If you visit Cooper’s Hill at the right time, you’ll see hordes of people going crazy. At the top of a 200-yard slope, someone shouts:
“One to be ready!
Two to be steady!
Three to prepare!
And four to be off!”
Then they hurl themselves down the hill, all chasing after a round of Double Gloucester cheese. The annual cheese rolling event attracts people worldwide wanting to win a free lump of cheese. Only one person gets the cheese, but hundreds leave with injuries from bruises to broken limbs.
The first cheese rolling was recorded in 1826, though it may have occurred earlier. Attempts to stop it on health and safety grounds have failed, as people willingly run down the hill knowing the risks. During the COVID lockdown, organizers rolled a small ceremonial cheese to keep the tradition alive.
Which of these crazy traditions would you try for some free food? Leave your comment below!
