Ashburton Bread Weighing & Ale Tasting

The Portreeve and other officials of Ashburton Court Leet are elected each November and one of the arduous tasks they must perform during their term of office is the annual bread-weighing and ale tasting ceremony in July. They visit the alehouses of the town in turn and give a sprig of evergreens to each landlord who supplies satisfactory produce, to display above the door. Loaves are also weighed and tested and certificates given to the bakers. Originally quality control measures such as these were made to ensure that consumers got a fair deal as miscreants who sold poor quality wares or gave short measures could be punished. Today it’s all more lighthearted and the officials form a robed  procession through town from their HQ at the chapel , followed by an auction of the loaves.

Helpful Hints

In 2023 the event was postponed until September 30th. In 2024 it should be on Saturday July 20th (to be confirmed but it’s usually the 3rd Saturday in July). It lasts around an hour followed by the auction.

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