I treasure a blue ceramic pot, the size of a pigeon’s egg, inscribed Colman’s. It has survived decades of kitchen clear-outs and is still used to mix and serve freshly mixed Original English Mustard.
The volcanic yellow paste is the capo of condiments. It has packed a blistering punch on British dining tables ever since the eponymous Mr. Jeremiah Colman went into business in Norwich 200 years ago.
The former flour-miller built his fortune with “the bit on the side of the plate,” invariably left once the meat and two veg of Sunday lunch have been eaten.
No one licks a plate clean of mustard.
Mustard may not be the essential desert island kitchen ingredient, but we would be the poorer without it: A smear of neon English mustard is an essential accompaniment to roast beef, pork pies and ham sandwiches and peerless for use in a range of old English recipes from deviled kidneys to cauliflower cheese, piccalilli and Welsh rarebit.
There are other English mustard brands available, as the phrase goes, but Colman’s, which claims 91% of total English mustard sales, will always be associated with Queen and country — and a platter of sliced, rare sirloin.
English mustard trade
In the 16th century the town of Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire emerged as the center of the English mustard trade. Pounded and mixed with horseradish, balls of mustard seed were reconstituted with vinegar or verjuice.
In 1720, Mrs. Clements of Tewkesbury found a way to dry the seeds so they could be milled into a long-life powder that could then be “cut” with water. Mustard preparations were also used for medicinal purposes, such as curing toothaches and colds.
Colman’s came to dominate the market with its skillful blending of brown and white seeds and clever marketing. In 1866, the company was granted a Special Warrant as suppliers to Queen Victoria, and 30 years later launched its first ready-mixed mustard under the brand name Savora. The position was confirmed when it purchased rival manufacturer’s Keen’s, which gave its name to the phrase “keen as mustard.”
Mustard crop nearly lost
Homegrown mustard seeds were nearly wiped out in 2007 through a combination of bad weather, poor harvests and poor flavor from loss of seed diversity. Luckily, Colman’s (now owned by Unilever) had kept jars of dried mustard seeds going back decades: DNA profiling enabled the company to restore viability to the national mustard crop.
Branding expertise played a key part in Colman’s success from the start.
In 1926, Colman’s Mustard Club became all the rage. The famous bull’s head logo conveyed an image of strength. It helped that mustard was considered a particularly good accompaniment to beef. Or, as Chico Marx was later to put it in “Monkey Business,” “Mustard’s no good without roast beef.”
Mustard memorabilia are now collectors’ items, from branded Victorian pencil sharpeners to Royal Doulton mustard pots and enameled signs, as well as brilliant advertising posters. Visitors to the Norwich Mustard Shop invariably come away laden with magnets, teapots, lapel badges, shoppers, coasters, mugs and jigsaws. My favorite? The mustard-tin cufflinks.
Mix mustard to your taste
The mixing of the powder with water to suit your own heat preference was once a ritual in British homes. The powder is made from pure mustard flour, but the ready-made jars and toothpaste-tubes also contain sugar, salt, wheat flour, spice, citric acid and water. Sales of the latter, however, far outstrip the dried powder in a triumph of convenience over tradition.
Sadly, in this anniversary year, there are mutters of discontent. Original English Mustard fans complain the ready-made version is runnier, it drips off the food and has lost its bite. I can’t help but agree — which is why I’m sticking to the powder and my old blue jar.
TIP: Should you choose to prepare it yourself: Mix and let stand for 10 minutes for the flavor to develop. Also, always use cold water in your mix for a cleaner, sharper taste.
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Ingredients
- 8 pork sausages
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 3 cups halved closed-cup mushrooms
- 2 heaping teaspoons of Colman's Instant Beef Gravy
- ½ to 1 teaspoon Colman's English Mustard, or to taste
- 2 cups dried macaroni
- 1½ tablespoons reduced-fat spread
- 2 cups reduced-fat milk (2%)
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Colman’s English Mustard
- 1 packed cup mature, reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
- ¼ packed cup Red Leicester cheese, shredded
- Pepper, to season
- (* Created especially by Colman’s for the 200th birthday)
Directions
- Preheat the grill. Arrange the sausages on the grill rack and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, turning often until browned.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion for 4 to 5 minutes, until browned. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Dissolve the gravy in 7 fluid ounces of boiling water. Stir in the mustard, then add to the onion mixture. Slice the sausages and add them to the pan. Transfer to an oven-proof baking dish, allow to cool while making the topping.
- Cook the macaroni in lightly salted boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the milk, spread and flour into a non-stick saucepan. Heat, stirring constantly with a whisk, to make a smooth sauce. Add the mustard and season with pepper. Stir in the cheddar cheese until melted.
- Drain the macaroni thoroughly and add to the cheese sauce. Spoon on top of the sausage mixture and sprinkle the Red Leicester cheese onto the surface.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Bake for 20 minutes, then broil the top for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with green vegetables.
A Very Fine Rarebit
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
1 packed cup, plus 2 tablespoons hard cheese, shredded (I used Red Leicester cheese because the coloring intensifies the red-gold hue of the topping, but you can use any hard, strong cheese.
4 fluid ounces English ale
2 teaspoons freshly made English mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
4 slices of sourdough bread (or similar)
Butter
Directions
1. Preheat the grill to high.
2. Melt the cheese in a small pan with the ale, mustard and pepper; stir until melted. (This will take only a few minutes.)
3. Set aside while you toast and butter the bread.
4. Pour the mixture over the slices of buttered toast and brown under the grill.
Jolly good with a cup of tea — or the rest of the ale.
Gubbins Sauce
* Nathaniel Gubbins (a pseudonym for Edward Spencer) was a Victorian century gourmet and humorous writer who gave his name to this spicy sauce he described as “invaluable, especially for the sluggard.”
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
¼ cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons English mustard
2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
6 tablespoons heavy cream or sour cream
Cayenne or paprika (optional)
Directions
1. Melt the butter in a double boiler or in a bowl placed over a pan of simmering water.
2. Combine the mustard and vinegar, then add the cream.
3. Season with salt and pepper (and cayenne, if used).
4. Keep warm over the water until ready to serve. Gubbins suggested serving with roast chicken legs and thighs, but you can also use white meat. The sauce is also good with lamb cutlets.
Deviled Eggs
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: n/a
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
6 large eggs
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons freshly made English mustard
Paprika (or cayenne)
Salt and black pepper
Chopped curly parsley (adds a suitably retro touch)
Directions
1. Boil the eggs until hard, plunge into cold water, let chill (this will help avoid any gray marks between yolk and white, and makes them easier to shell).
2. Shell the eggs, and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the yolks.
3. Mash the yolks (or press through a nylon sieve) with the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, a pinch of paprika and seasoning to taste.
4. Spoon or pipe the mixture into the egg white halves, then sprinkle with the parsley.
Main photo: Colman’s Original English Mustard. Credit: Clarissa Hyman