Vine, Violin and Vigour: A Folk Celebration of Harvest

“Your hay ‘as been mowed and your grain it is reaped,
Your barns’ll be full and your flour bags heaped.
Come my boys, come, come my boys, come,
And we’ll merrily roar out Harvest Home!”

The Harvest: Cheer or Sorrow

Working in the English wine world, harvest is a pivotal time of year. It can mean the difference between producing 400,000 bottles or 900,000 bottles of wine. It can make careers and create wine icons – or, as 2024 seems to be shaping up, break them. English wine is still relatively young, but it evokes emotions and connections that stretch back through history.

I’m drawn to this time of year, intrinsically linked to the passing of the seasons. That golden period when the leaves change, and we say goodbye to summer stirs something ancient in us. It connects us not only to childhood harvest suppers but to deeper traditions of the harvest feast, the harvest moon, and the cheer in our homes – a celebration of humankind’s triumph over the land.

Thankfully, in the 21st century, harvest means a boost to the bottom line for our company, rather than a life-or-death gamble for winter survival. Yet, the music and traditions of this season still evoke that knife-edge feeling of sustenance and plenty. 

But what about those links to the past that survive, just about, to this day? If you want to feel truly connected to our landscape and seasons, there’s nothing like diving into the world of harvest traditions…

Babies, Mares, and Home

Harvest customs in England are rooted in ancient oddness, many now obscure but once central to rural life – showing just how important this time of year is to the passage of life. Practices like the Kern Baby in Northumberland, where the last sheaf of the harvest was dressed in women’s clothing and paraded through the village, highlight that tangible connection between life, death, and the changing seasons. This sheaf, personified as a doll, symbolised the land’s fertility and was often kept throughout the winter to protect the household from misfortune.

Likewise, from Cornwall and Devon, there’s the tradition of Crying the Neck or Mare, which refers to a mystical female spirit associated with fertility. The practice involved throwing the last sheaf of corn into the air while singing or shouting to release the spirit back into the fields.

I ‘ave ‘un! I ‘ave ‘un! I ‘ave ‘un!

What ‘ave ‘ee? What ‘ave ‘ee? What ‘ave ‘ee?

A neck! A neck! A neck!

Hurrah! Hurrah for the neck!

In northern England and Scotland, the Mell Supper was a more private affair, held at the end of the harvest. Typically celebrated by the farmer and workers in the farmhouse kitchen, it involved rich meals of meat, pies, and cakes, serving as a token of gratitude. The term “mell” is thought to derive from the Old Norse word for “meal” or “gathering”. Another tradition involved the Harvest Jack, symbolising the devil believed to live within the last stalk of wheat. Farmers ceremoniously cut the final stalk, often with exaggerated superstition, to avoid being cursed for the year ahead.

At Balfour Winery, our vineyard in Kent, we’ve started our own little quirks and customs. Our head winemaker, Fergus Elias, always starts that year’s vintage by pouring half a bottle of his best wine from previous years into the press, whilst his father, Owen, scatters wildflowers amongst the grapes. A passing of one year to the next, and certainly now a tradition; it’s happened more than twice, afterall. They’ve won a lot of awards – so who’s to say it doesn’t work? 

A lesser-known but delicious-sounding harvest custom, particularly in Norfolk, is the making of Plough Pudding. This rich, savoury suet pudding, traditionally filled with bacon and onions, was often served during Plough Monday and at the end of harvest celebrations. Symbolising the nourishment needed for workers to return to the fields, Plough Pudding was hearty, filling, and a true reward after long days of hard work.

Songs to Celebrate the Harvest

It’s no surprise that many folk songs celebrate this pivotal time of year. For me, folk music connects our modern lives with the past, and the turning of the seasons is one of the few constants across generations. Here are a few songs to get you in the harvest mood:

• John Barleycorn is a centuries-old ballad that personifies barley as a man who suffers, dies, and is resurrected, reflecting the cycle of sowing, reaping, and brewing. The song not only honours the grain harvest but also highlights beer production, which often accompanies harvest celebrations. Its themes of death and rebirth mirror the agricultural cycle and changing seasons. Versions by Johnny Flynn, The Imagined Village, and Traffic offer varying interpretations, each breathing new life into the traditional tale.
  
• Another timeless tune is The Jolly Ploughboy, a lively song that celebrates the hard work of farmers as they prepare the land for sowing and the coming harvest. The energy of the song captures the pride and joy in agricultural labour, making it a perfect soundtrack for harvest time. Kate Rusby’s version is as whimsical as you’d expect, while the Ben Walker and Kirsty Merryn arrangement adds a modern twist to this folk classic.
  
• Of course, Harvest Home remains a quintessential harvest song, with its rousing chorus – “Come, my boys, come, and we’ll merrily roar out Harvest Home!” – sung to mark the end of the season’s labour and the beginning of feasting. This song is still performed at many harvest festivals, with versions by Steeleye Span being particularly notable for their folk-rock approach.
  
• For something a little different, Now Westlin Winds by Dick Gaughan offers a poetic reflection on autumn’s arrival and the fading of the summer. Its gentle melancholy makes it an evocative song for the close of the harvest season. The Watersons’ renditions of traditional songs like Swarthfell Rocks are also perfect for harvest time, capturing the rural spirit and the deep connection to the land.
  
• Then, of course, there’s the errr… “cheekier” side of harvest. I won’t really go into that here, but I’m sure you can imagine. If not – try The Threshing Machine by The Wurzels. I’m sure it’s something to do with the birth of new life, an abundance of ale, and celebration – but there are plenty of folk songs that celebrate the joy of new life. If you know what I mean.

However you’re choosing to celebrate the 2024 harvest, raise a glass to John Barleycorn – a toast to the turning of the year.