Friday 20 March 2020

Mustard, mustard, mustard.



One of the products that we all knew as children was called 'French Mustard'. Unlike English Mustard it was dark brown, quite mild, and tasted of vinegar. In some ways I quite liked it.

However, having lived south of La Manche for nearly 50 years, I have yet to encounter any such product here in France; which we were led to believe was its country of origin. It simply didn't, or doesn't, exist.

We keep just four basic Mustards in the house. Colman's powder, simple cheap Dijon, Maille Mustard with Honey (for Lady M), and (since quite recently) some Heinz Yellow Mustard, which is used exclusively with certain German style Hot Dog sausages that we eat with Sauerkraut. I don't particularly like grain Mustard, nor most fancy varieties that come in fancy jars at a fancy price.

When growing-up, we always had one of three roasts on Sundays; Chicken, Beef, or Lamb. It soon became my duty to make the Mint Sauce for the Lamb, or mix the Mustard for the Beef; the Chicken came with its own delicious gravy. I don't remember any Pork roasts.

You have to be wealthy these days to afford the type of large Beef rib joints that were normal when I was young, so I imagine that sales of Colman's Mustard powder are now considerably smaller than before; and as such, children are probably no longer taught how to mix it.

I didn't mention above, but Colman's style dry Mustard powder is unavailable here; unless I've missed it.


53 comments:

  1. I like horseradish and mild mustard with our joints of beef.

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    1. I can't live without Horseradish, but not (sadly) for joints of Beef; they're way beyond our means. We go as far as a Boeuf Bourguignon occasionally.

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  2. I'll send you one if you like [Colman's dry]. Or two. As it happens - because I have a peculiar affinity with the colour yellow in all its shades - I use Colman's sweet little containers for decorative purposes. There is one - pride of place in a display cabinet nailed to the wall in the kitchen, and one on one of my desks. Turning my head to the left I am ooking at it now. So pleasing to the eye, with the red writing and a little discrete black thrown in for contrast.

    Mustard is great. No macaroni cheese sauce should be without it (and its good friend Lea & Perrins). What I like about mustard when served as a condiment that you can self regulate. So, say, for example Duesseldorfer Loewensenf (Lion's mustard) blows your head off if not smeared on judiciously (similar, so I believe, to Tewkesbury mustard). Reminds me of my dear dear grandfather. Oddly, wonder why that is, Loewensenf comes in a tube where I absolutely love the glass jars of Maille et al. Always in my cupboard. Smooth and grainy.

    Great to hear you like Sauerkraut, though "Choucroute" sounds so much better.

    Fun subject, Cro,
    U

    PS Here is one for Rachel: On, just now, closer inspection of the Colman's I see it originates in Norwich.

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    1. I do actually have TWO tins of Colman's powder in the cupboard; one open, one not. My oldest replenishes my supply when needed. But thank you for your kind thought. No Choucroute would be edible without mustard.

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  3. I like that same mustard and honey. The very best.
    We get Coleman's mustard here in a jar with a nice yellow lid. Everyone here is used to Dijon so it's fun to watch their expressions when they try the Coleman's, even after we have warned them.
    We get mustard powder here which you buy in little bags. It's not Coleman's but it is just as powerful.

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    1. I've never seem Mustard powder on sale here. Handy tip: A squirt of honey in a cheap jar of Dijon tastes very good too!

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  4. It is Colman's, not Coleman's. Nothing else to say except everybody worked there at one time in their lives and hot summers were good for the drinks lines because they also made Robinsons, and everything was done on site, including a print works for the labels, and farms here grow the mustard, the mint and the apples for apple sauce, all local. The original factory closed last year and all production of mint and mustard continues at new factory out of the city. Britvic took over Robinsons and moved that away. I have dry mustard in the cupboard as well as jars. A shift away from meat eating has slightly affected sales of mint and mustard.

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    1. I didn't correct her because I just knew you'd be along at any minute to give her a good ticking-off (as you did me once). At one time we never bought anything but the powder, now I suspect that people buy nothing but ready-made in jars.

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    2. I buy both and use the dry as a fall back only really. May need to be doing that soon. Mixing up the spelling always gets locals going. I couldn't let Linda get away with it.

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    3. I should hope so too. I allowed you the pleasure.

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    4. I am really ticked off! Shan't make that mistake again

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  5. I recently discovered a Russian mustard in one of the shops in the small town next to me, it's the most delicious I've eaten.

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    1. How does it taste? Hot, mild? Sweet, acid? I've not heard of Russian Mustard; it sounds interesting.

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    2. Slightly sweeter than any other mustard I know.

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  6. The whole grain mustard is my favourite ! I am, by no stretch of the imagination, a fussy eater but, when it comes to heat, my mouth can’t take it. I read somewhere that some people’s lining of the mouth is very sensitive to hot foods. The yellow mustard or mixed from the powder blows my head off ! It’s the same ( but different !) when it comes to coriander ...... for some people ( me included ) coriander just tastes like soap in it’s raw state. I can eat it in soups but I avoid it otherwise ! XXXX

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    1. I'm not a big fan of Coriander either; nor am I of Oregano, which the Greeks seem to use in everything. To me it tastes of dusty herb. I must grow some this year and dry my own; I must be missing something.

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    2. You are! Try growing a pot of oregano and see the difference. Mind you, there are loads of different varieties some more pungent than others

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    3. They introduced a mild version of the mustard a few years ago for people like you Jackie.

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    4. I've always bought it dried, which I'm sure is rubbish. I shall grow some; several million Greeks can't be wrong.

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    5. In absence of fresh I do use dried oregano. However, a bit like dried thyme, it loses its punch pretty quickly. If left on the shelf, turning, as you say, into "dust" pretty quickly. Dried Basil also a definite no no.

      Come to think of it, with the benefit of your vast Haddock's, do you keep a herb garden?

      U

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    6. I do, but for the herbs I use most; Rosemary, Mint, Thyme, Chives, and Sage.

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    7. I’ll look out for it Rachel. XXXX

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  7. I still have the exact egg-cup and tiny silver spoon that I used to mix the mustard ready for Sunday lunch, always my job as a child. Can't stand the stuff though!

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    1. I made it in a small glass pot, that I imagine was a special mustard pot. I had forgotten all about it until my sister reminded me of it.

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  8. The most popular mustard brand in Austria is Estragon. When I hear the word Estragon or see a tube of the stuff I instantly think of Estragon the first character to appear in Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. His opening words are: Nothing to be done.

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    1. I love Godot. The best ever version I saw was in a TINY theatre in Farnham where the actor playing Pozzo actually foamed at the mouth as a result of his enthusiasm for the role. He put his ALL into it, as I've never seen!

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    2. "Nothing to be done". That is funny, Gwil. Not as in "ha, ha". Remember it well. Though totally goes against my own bred in the bone grain. Probably use it as the inscription on my grave stone.

      Another take on Estragon's that of the Angel (my son): "It is what it is". He doesn't say it, necessarily, with a shrug of his shoulders just some wisdom he already carries on his young shoulders. Calm. Press the reset button.

      U

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  9. Mustard with beef? Surely it should have been horse radish sauce my good sir! I am sure that Samuel Beckett would have agreed with me had he not expired in 1989.

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  10. Yes, Mr Colman said he made his millions from what people left on their plates at the end of a meal. I have a tin (rectangular) of Colman's Mustard Powder - can't tell you how long I have had it - and only about a third used. I do use mustard but either whole grain or Dijon.

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    1. I suspect that many quarter-used tins of powder get thrown away. It's so much easier these days to buy ready made.

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    2. I like the mix it yourself Colman's in tins, but it seems to be increasingly hard to find it these days, amongst all the ready-made stuff. Like Ursula I keep the tins too,I just like them and they are handy for putting seeds in.

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  11. I was almost out of Colman's English Mustard (mixed) but got a jar yesterday. I use the tin of dried mustard in emergencies (too lazy usually to mix it) and a lot in cooking (things like cheese sauce spring to mind). I like wholegrain, French Mustard and Dijon mustard too and always have them in. The wholegrain gets used in cooking quite a lot.

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    1. I occasionally add some powder to soups, and once dusted a Pork chop with it before frying; although I can't now remember the result.

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  12. The word I link with mustard is 'Tracklements'. Years ago in the town of Calne, Wiltshire someone started making whole seed jars of mustard. The little seeds popped in your mouth and never as explosive as Colmans, they went on to bigger things in Malmesbury.

    http://www.hub-uk.com/interesting/tracklement.htm

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  13. Growing up, we did the same routine, chicken, roast, and lamb on Sundays. Although we did not have much money, It was the day for visitors and we would share what we had with loved ones.

    I remember having only one kind of mustard, and it was Guldin’s . I is still a staple in my house.

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    1. I think when I was small there was only the powder; the ready-mixed came later.

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  14. Couldn't be without the dry Colemans bog standard mustard. Use it in cheese sauce,cheese scones etc. Trying to imagine mustard and sauerkraut mmmm

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    1. It's always handy in the cupboard. If you didn't have any, that's when you'd need it.

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  15. Love Coleman’s dry mustard. Still available in Canada. Jean

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  16. You could make your own, starting with mustard seeds...and adjust the taste to suit

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    1. Hmmmm. Not sure if I have the will-power for that. I once made my own Peanut Butter, and that taught me a good lesson.

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  17. I have several mustard and use them on different things. Good old Heinz yellow mustard is great on a grilled hot dog in the summer. If you want you can add sliced tomatoes, onions and if needed relish. Taste of heaven from my childhood.
    parsnip

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    1. My youngest son bought me the Yellow Mustard quite recently. As you say, perfect for hot dogs.

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  18. French mustard here was not as hot as English mustard and I preferred it. But I really like seed mustard.

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    1. The ordinary Dijon Mustard we buy is reasonably hot; not quite as much as the powder you mix yourself.

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  19. I have dried mustard to add to mac and cheese.

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    1. The powder is useful for all sorts of things; I often put half a teaspoon into soups.

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