Wednesday 8 January 2014

Mustard pots.



How do you serve your mustard?

Now that we all usually buy our mustard ready-made, I suspect that it is mostly put onto the table in it's original shop-bought container. But in times when we all mixed our own from powder, we used proper mustard pots.

Of the several mustard pots in my possession, these three are probably my favourites. A small Victorian glass-lined silver pot, an antique moulded glass pot, and a plain white porcelain pot. 

I certainly wouldn't use the silver one; it's tiresome to clean, and it's far too small. I tend not to use the white one because people don't know what's inside. Of the three, the glass one is by far my favourite; it's big enough to hold enough mustard for several people, one can see at once what is inside, and the pot itself is easily cleaned.

When I was small, it was always my job at Sunday lunchtimes to make whatever sauce was required. Mint sauce if we were eating lamb, and mustard if we were eating beef. I was never told to do it, I simply sniffed the air and got on with the job, it was my weekly 'culinary responsibility' and I loved the whole process.

I do remember that the family mustard pot at the time was made of glass. I've tried, on several occasions, to remember exactly how it was, but can recall nothing of it whatsoever.... Shame on me. 



23 comments:

  1. I can remember the bone spoon that went with the pot though. Straight from the shop bought jar here. I don't think I possess a mustard pot.

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  2. Yes, it was like a small straight sided mug with a handle.

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    Replies
    1. I certainly remember the bone spoon, but still can't picture the pot. I remember very clearly mixing the mustard.

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    2. Glass - with a slight bobbly effect on the outside I think.

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  3. Our mustard pot was hexagonal glass with silver top and silver spoon and part of the cruet set. I used to make the mustard when I was a child, my job, like you. I now have the cruet set but rarely use it. I just put the Colman's jar on the table, quicker.

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    Replies
    1. And it's locally grown too!

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    2. indeed, just up the road. We used to haul it from a neighbour's farm straight to Colmans factory in our lorry.

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  4. I still make mustard as I always have a large tin of Colmans in the cupboard. I use this in cheese sauces, scones, that sort of thing. despite a cupboard full of old crockery, glass etc I don't possess a mustard pot, so use an egg cup and a small salt spoon.
    When I was small we had a glass and chrome cruet set.
    Gill

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    Replies
    1. Proper mustard powder is unbeatable. We can't buy it here, so I import via my son.

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  5. It's a shame we don't decant stuff now, I remember our jam was always in a nice container with a spoon.
    Briony
    x

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    Replies
    1. And yet we all probably still have those nice containers, somewhere at the back of a cupboard.

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  6. It is nice that you treat yourself so nice when you sit down to a meal. I have to admit to just plopping the mustard container down on the table and just giving it a good old squeeze.

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  7. Did your father, like mine, always look at the discarded hot mustard on the side of your plate and say, "Mr Coleman mad all his profit by what people LEFT on the side of their plates"?

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    Replies
    1. I think Coleman himself put this around as an advertising gimmick.

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    2. Jeremiah will turn in his grave when he see's that E in his name.

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  8. The memories of childhood moments. My job when at my grandparents' in Oklahoma was to step out to the patch of mint that grew outside of the dining room and cut mint for our iced tea. I still have a warm place in my heart for mint.

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    1. I used to do the same. I'd then hide it behind my back, and give my mother a bunch of nettles; only to bring out the mint amid howls of laughter. We still do it today.

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  9. I have a cruet set that's ancient, and wondered what one of the little covered containers was for. I'll bet it was for mustard! Thanks for clearing up that mystery for me.

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  10. We all have those kind of memory lapses Cro - our memories are very selective. But your post made me smile because it was always my job too = mint sauce, mustard from Colmans Mustard Powder, Parsley sauce, custard sauce, - making any of them brings back memories still..
    They still bring back memories now.

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    Replies
    1. It must have been a way of keeping the children quiet whilst waiting for lunch!

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