PHOTOGRAPHS ANDREW MONTGOMERY STYLING POLLY WEBB-WILSON
“ Some food demands a good dollop of mustard. A rare rib-eye steak, roast beef and Yorkshire pud, thick slices of baked ham, pork pies… This very British condiment adds a pungent kick to dishes and is an essential ingredient in many chutneys and pickles. But what are its origins? The mustard plant was brought to northern Europe by the Romans, who ground the seeds and mixed it into a paste with grape must (hence the name). By the 17th century England and France were centres of mustard production. The French mixed it with the juice of unripe grapes or vinegar to keep it pungent, while in England, fiery Tewkesbury mustard – with horseradish – was the norm. In 18th-century England, it was discovered you could dry mustard seeds, then grind them to a powder to be sold in tins. It soon became the iconic British condiment, with East Anglia the main mustard-growing region – as it remains today. Mustard became a storecupboard staple and producers such as Colman’s became household names, evocatively linked to our heritage.„