Field to Fork

What is the origin of the phrase “doesn’t cut the mustard”?

Mustard is one of the great crops of East Anglia. Great swathes of brilliant yellow cover the countryside before seeding, turning, and drying. It was cut by hand with scythes. If a poor worker was not up to the job, they “would not cut the mustard”.

We visited our mustard supplier last week and learned so much about this little yellow flower and the power it contains.

Condimentum’s Jonathan Mason welcomed us, our cameras, and our virtual notebooks:

Condimentum took us through the business and process, the ‘quiz night’ key points of which we’ll share with you now and over the coming weeks.

The bottom line is that they are so proud of what they do, championing British Farming and British Farming excellence.

70% of the business is actually owned  by the farmers who grow the seed. This and their joint knowledge is unprecedented.As with any aspect of agriculture, what goes into the ground affects what comes out. So, the investment in seed development to grow the flowers that in turn create the seed, cut, treated, and milled for mustard powder – is a vast, scientific cycle of learning and knowledge that ultimately reflects the quality of the mustard on your table.

Field to Fork.

“We work very closely with our farmers, and it works both ways. We are able to help them with technical expertise from the technical team in-house, and they help feed back the ground level results.”“Communally, we have well over 150 years of experience, with five generations of farmers in some families that amounts to a great deal of growing and technical expertise.”[1950s. Trevor Loveday on tractor, with various Markham children by the reaper. Thanks to Welney Website.]

Now we know where it comes from, what are we going to do with it?While your roast is resting, take some of the juices from the pan, stir in a good spoon of two of our wholegrain mustard, and drizzle over a selection of roots for roasting too.

The flavours from our Cider & Horseradish Mustard add deep layers to the roasting veg. As well as the tingling crunch of yellow and black mustard seeds, the crisp English cider and lingering notes of horseradish are very clever additions. Resident Chef, Andy uses the complexities of our wholegrain mustard in many ways – HERE in a recipe for Roast Chicken & French-Style Peas. The chicken is so moist and the peas absolutely delicious.Our Dijon Mustard has a deceptive strength – a gentle giant of flavour. Try this White Bean, Mushroom & Pancetta Strudel. Another fabulous forkful from Andy.

[See last week’s Newsletter – Autumn Spice – for some surprising facts about Dijon Mustard – HERE.]As for our Classic English Mustard, well ours is a twist on the classics you might know.

We have removed that steamy-hot kick that dominates an otherwise very fine cut of beef, and replaced it with a warming intensity of natural mustard combinations that complement the food on your fork.

Field to Fork.

What makes a Great Burger?

Usually associated with high street fast food, the ‘burger’ has developed into a balanced, quality meal of fine ingredients served in a bun.

“Burgers are a blank canvas for endless flavour possibilities”
Jamie Oliver.

Jamie really sums the burger up so well. It can be anything, any combinations that play an intriguing dance across your taste buds.

Beef with Smoky Crunch:The key to this new burger creation from Andy … is the crunch – texture. The ground beef patty smothered in our rich Red Onion Marmalade, topped with bacon and crispy nachos with melted smoked cheese poured over them – wow. Nice one Andy!

Pulled Pork Burger:Pulled Pork is easily available in most stores and delis. Here, it is balanced with smoked cheese and the crunch of crispy onions.

The smokiness of the cheese is further developed with Stokes Original BBQ Sauce – sweet, thick and smoky.

Fish Burger:And it doesn’t have to be a meat-based burger. Here, crispy air-fried goujons of cod sit on our Tartare Sauce and a vibrant bed of lettuce. The ciabatta makes a crusty change to burger or brioche buns.

Portobello Mushroom Burger:Finally, of course, it can be a vegetarian burger. Here, the ‘meaty’ Portobello mushroom is the star.

There’s so much you can do with it, such as scoop out some of the stem, fill the gap with vegetarian cheese, bake it then stack it. Stokes Chilli Jam adds a sticky relish oozing with flavour from the sweet chilli peppers and red peppers.

What do you have in YOUR burgers?

MUSTARD – As an Aphrodisiac!

The Greeks who were the first to document the spice’s ability to increase circulation. And good circulation leads to good sex. That may be why this spice was regarded as a sexual aid throughout most of European history.

The notable attributes of mustard seed and prepared mustard that made this ingredient historically aphrodisiac, including pungency and heat, is only part of the story when it comes to the health benefits of mustard.

This potent spice is rich with nutrients beneficial to sexual health. And it is a source of several nutrients particularly beneficial to men’s libido and sexual performance

But:

Two of the strongest 19^th century promoters of vegetarian diets and clean living, Sylvester Graham (of the Graham Cracker) and John Kellogg (of the Cornflake).

Both men believed food should be completely bland.

They stormed against the use of mustard (and other spices) because it inflamed the passions, leading to the dangers of sexual excess.

More than just a dollop on the side of the plate!

[Thanks to Lloydlibrary.org for the details.]

Hmmm – Quite Interesting

Mustard’s no good without roast beef. Chico Marx

I send you a kaffis of mustard seed, that you may taste and acknowledge the bitterness of my victory. Alexander the Great

Of course it is,’ said the Duchess, who seemed ready to agree to everything that Alice said; ‘there’s a large mustard-mine near here. And the moral of that is– “The more there is of mine, the less there is of yours. Lewis Carroll

I’d like to stand up for the rights of people who put everything on their burger – chutney, mustard, pickle, mustard pickle, tomato sauce… It is common knowledge in my family that I can’t tell the difference between a veggie burger and a meat one, because the ratio of burger to pickles is so high. Terry Pratchett