English mustard

I remember my grandfather telling me at meal times how Colman’s had made their money from what we left on our plates. I used always to try and disguise any excess or hide it under remains of food on my plate, as I felt guilty for helping their seemingly unwarranted success.

Mustard is made from the ground seeds of the mustard plant, which is a member of the cabbage family and a variety of this is used in Asian cooking, the mustard leaf. Mustard has been used in England since Roman times and possibly before. Until the eighteenth century, though, it was only really used in the home, ground at the table like pepper.