The tradition of eating hot cross buns as we know them dates back to the 18th century, according to English HeritageLink opens in a new window. It has been suggested that the St Alban’s Bun, a cake local to St Alban’s, was the "ancient prototype" for the hot cross bun.

These buns are flavoured with "grains of paradise", sometimes known as Meleguata pepper and closely related to cardamom, and a cross was slashed into the dough rather than piped on.

Some historians say that bakers who marked their loaves with crosses believed it would ensure the bread rose successfully and would ward off evil spirits.

Later, it was believed that hanging loaves and buns marked with crosses that were baked on Good Friday would provide protection against evil spirits. These miraculous loaves were also believed to never mould and would last all year long until the next Good Friday came along, when they would be replaced.

The hot cross bun’s links to religion have always been quite clear - even if they haven’t always been welcome. Professor Rebecca Earle, food historian at the University of Warwick, tells Yahoo UK: "I don’t think there’s any ambiguity about hot cross buns being associated with Good Friday and therefore, Easter.

Author and academic, Professor Maureen Freely from the School of Creative Arts, Performance and Visual Cultures at the University of Warwick, achieved a resounding victory last night at the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Awards in New York. Professor Freely was awarded the Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize for her translation of Cold Nights of Childhood by Tezer Özlü.

Benjamin Nuga (BA French with Chinese, 2022), has already diversified his skill set by working as a production assistant, scriptwriter, and musician and he’s also been a contestant on Countdown. Having only graduated in 2022, his achievements are centered around his willingness to step outside his comfort zone.

Who and what are Speakbeast all about?

We're a theatre company founded in 2023 at Warwick, making fringe theatre with a focus on small-scale/DIY-aesthetic, accessible politics, and absolute nonsense. We’re interested in creating original theatre, which focuses on queerness, transness, and what it means to be human in a mechanised world.

Warwick Taught Masters Scholarships – deadline Friday 31^st May

The University of Warwick will be offering the Warwick Taught Masters Scholarship Scheme to support eligible postgraduate students in 2024/2025. The Scheme has £500,000 to allocate and we expect to make a minimum of 50 awards. Awards are set up to £10,000 per student and available to eligible Home fee status students from under-represented groups who wish to start a postgraduate taught masters course in 2024/2025.

Further information and guidance on eligibility can be found here: https://warwick.ac.uk/study/outreach/scholarships/wtmss/ and any queries can be sent to wtmss@warwick.ac.uk.

UG Sanctuary Scholarships – deadline Tuesday 30^th April

Warwick’s UG Sanctuary Scholarship applications for 2024 entry are now open. Please note that these scholarships are open to eligible Warwick offer holders/applicants who are seeking asylum, have humanitarian protection or discretionary/limited leave to remain due to an asylum claim and cover a full tuition fee waiver and the equivalent of the full maintenance grant and Warwick Bursary. There’s more information about the eligibility criteria, application process, etc, through the links below and the application deadline is Tues 30^th April:

• Warwick UG Sanctuary Scholarship information
• Warwick UG Sanctuary Scholarship application form

Any enquiries about the UG Sanctuary Scholarships can be sent to lifecycleteam@warwick.ac.uk

Two sanctuary scholars from the University of Warwick have been named on this year’s 100 Changemakers list by The Big Issue.

Warwick’s UG Sanctuary Scholarship applications for 2024 entry are now open. Please note that these scholarships are open to eligible Warwick offer holders/applicants who are seeking asylum, have humanitarian protection or discretionary/limited leave to remain due to an asylum claim and cover a full tuition fee waiver and the equivalent of the full maintenance grant and Warwick Bursary. There’s more information about the eligibility criteria, application process, etc, through the links below and the application deadline is Tues 30^th April: 

• Warwick UG Sanctuary Scholarship information
• Warwick UG Sanctuary Scholarship application form
• Warwick UG Sanctuary Scholarship guidance notes

 Any enquiries about the UG Sanctuary Scholarships can be sent to lifecycleteam@warwick.ac.uk.

For Michael Ojetunde (BA French and Economics, 2022), opting to study a language was always part of a grander plan.

Chart-toppers from the 17^th century revived by historian and musicians are making a comeback. Christopher Marsh, a history professor at Queen’s University Belfast, and Angela McShane, an honorary reader in history at the University of Warwick's Department of History, counted editions of single-sheet songs and other metrics to identify top hits from the Elizabethan and Stuart eras.

Congratulations to all our Faculty of Arts students who are graduating today. We hope you and your families and friends have a wonderful day celebrating your achievements.

The School of Modern Languages and Cultures organised a Christmas Card Competition for schools and delighted to share some of their entries. Orla Whelan-Davis, Widening Participation Officer, has shared the following:

'We organised a modern foreign languages schools Christmas Card Competition in the month of December as part of our Routes Into Languages initiative. We were thrilled to receive huge amounts of entries from pupils in key stages 2 and 3 showcasing their artistic, creative and language skills. We were able to create a display by our SMLC office of many of the entries which came in 11 different languages! It really put a smile on everyone’s faces, staff and students alike. The worthy winners received personal letters of congratulations and a voucher as their prizes. Some photos attached of the display and the winning cards in each key stage.'