The annual Alresford Watercress Festival will take place on Sunday 19th May and it being the 20th anniversary, who knows what additional madness and mayhem will ensue! All the usual popular attractions will be taking place: the crowning of the Watercress King and Queen followed by the dispersal of fresh, new season watercress to the crowds, cookery demos by celebrity chefs, live entertainment, food stalls, craft stalls and of course, the world-renowned and hugely anticipated World Watercress Eating Championships.
But the organisers have a few surprises up their sleeves to make sure the 20th annual Watercress Festival is truly one to remember.
All will be revealed in the weeks leading up to the Festival so for now, put Sunday 19th May in the diary and prepare to celebrate the peppery salad leaf revered as a superfood for thousands of years and which continues to reveal more health-giving properties as new scientific research digs deeper into its secrets. News of a patented watercress extract which has been proven not only to help soothe skin, but also to prevent nappy rash is imminent, while a watercress related breakthrough in the prevention of melanoma is due to be announced in 2024.
Watercress is grown in natural spring water that bubbles up from underground aquifers mainly in Hampshire and Dorset. Alresford is known as the ‘Capital’ of Watercress because of the important role it played in the growing and transportation of fresh watercress by train to the fresh produce markets of the North and London.
Today, ride on the Watercress Line vintage steam train (even come to the festival on it) and relive its Victorian heyday.
For more information and to keep up to date with new attractions being added to the festival visit www.watercressfestival.org