Rural Leicestershire

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Beer for the harvest

2.27 minutes

[594 kb]

Interviewee:

At harvest time we used to, Mum used to make this beer in what we called a pancheon, stand it in the dairy, and at lunch time we used to take it down the fields to the men. We'd take it in bottles or in milk cans, anything like that, and then when we'd take our own lunch with us and we'd sit under the hedge on the sacks and have our lunch with the men down there. That was our life as children really, doin' that sort of thing.

EMOHA:

Was that a summer time activity, this beer?

Interviewee:

Yes. Oh yes. It was only done at harvest, it was never carried on.

EMOHA:

Can you remember what went into this beer?

Interviewee:

Well, I've no idea. I don't remember whether it was made from a packet or a bottle or what it was, but as I say this pancheon was always full so there must have been, I mean you could smell the yeast in it and that sort of thing, but it smelt like a brewery really!

EMOHA:

And do you remember how long the beer had to stay in this pancheon until it was taken down to the fields?

Interviewee:

No, I don't. I don't know whether it's made two or three days in advance. I suppose it was because things were done like that. They were never done at the last minute.

EMOHA:

So who would go with you to the fields carrying the beer?

Interviewee:

Well, my sister's nearly the same age as myself. We would take it between us. Lots of arguments, lots of stuff spilt, but it was like when we fetched the milk at night from the farm. We fetched it in a milk can and swinging the can round and we'd often lose half the milk.

EMOHA:

This beer, though, did you, did you try any of it yourself?

Interviewee:

Oh yes, we tried, oh yes. We had a little sip on the quiet when we were in the dairy, or the pantry as some people called it but ours was so big that it was like a little dairy really.

Last updated: 21/11/03
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