Wednesday, 14 January 2026

Cut the Mustard!

Question -What foodstuff does this remind you of?
Answer- Pigs in Blankets!
A huge thankyou to Jean in France for sharing her recipe for cassoulet made with leftover Pigs In Blankets.

Mine looked pleasantly similar to the photo on J's blog, but a bit more orange! But it tasted really good - and the quantities for four served us two good meals. My Le Creuset was the right pan in which to cook and serve this hearty dish.

Yes Jean, as you warned, the bacon does unwrap itself from the chipolatas, but a genuine cassoulet will often have sausages plus separate chunks of pork. I put some carrot chunks in mine, and served with hearty slices of brown bread for 'mopping up' 
Warm and filling on a cold day. 


WARNING
I checked out Mary Berry's original recipe [here] from which Jean adapted hers. MB adds a Dijon mustard and sage garnish to stir in at the end. As the sage is still growing happily outside, I decided to make some. Onto each bowl, I put a dollop of the golden sauce, flecked with chopped green leaves, and vivid lemon zest. "You are supposed to stir it in" I explained. It looked pretty. But it was way too mustardy, even for Bob! Next time, I shall be sure to cut [out] the mustard.
Allegedly, mustard crops in East Anglia used to grow to 6 feet high, and had to be scythed. If the blades were not sharp enough, then they wouldn't cut the mustard - not sure if I believe this explanation of the phrase, but I love the Norfolk connection


I picked up this little white beauty in the 50p bin in a CS on Monday.
I already have a blue Colman's jar for my English mustard, but I thought this white one from Essex would do beautifully for my French mustard. Liz gave me the tiny wooden spoon some years ago, hand carved by one of her friends.
Sadly Colman's, having been bought out by Unilever, stopped producing mustard in Norwich 6 years ago [after over 150 years] but the Wilkin family in Essex continue producing their preserves [the family have been farming there since 1757, selling preserves since 1885] 

14 comments:

  1. My dad always used to make mustard from mustard powder that comes in a tin.
    I remember hearing that Mr Colman of Colman's mustard once said that he made his fortune from the mustard that gets washed down the sink when doing the washing up because people never use as much as they make. You can still get mustard powder in a tin but most people buy jars of it now so there's not so much waste!
    Thanks for the link xx

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    1. I have a little yellow tin in my spic and not like e drawer. I do remember an American lady coming to stay with us. She asked for a Proper Roast Beef Dinner, so be we cc took her to a carvery. And slathered mustard all in over her meat. We warned her it was HOT and not like US mild mustard. She refused to believe us, and then took a large mouthful. ...

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    2. I always make English mustard from the yellow tin when we have roast beef. Sad that it is not made in Norfolk any more. I like Dijon mustard too but I don't like mild American mustard I find it tasteless. The mustard pot from the CS is great, you get some great finds. Regards Sue H

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    3. US mustard is just yellow goop💛 imho!

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  2. I've always enjoyed mustard, but I once worked with someone who used it in place of ketchup when eating chips, which I found really bizarre!

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    1. We watched 'inside the factory' as they prepared McCain chips. With his Belgian roots, Bob has mayo on his frites. I have either mayo or vinegar. But not ketchup, brown sauce or mustard. Each to her own...

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  3. Norrie likes a variety of mustards but they make me wheezy for some reason. I love the little pots-you have such a good eye for little bargains in the CS. Catriona

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    1. I like to use just a little dijon or wholegrain when cooking - not really a fan of a huge spoonful on my plate.

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  4. I cannot stand mustard. I never knew what it was when I was growing up because, apparently, Dad disliked it. The first time I went to a Birthday party and ate a ham sandwich with some on I was horrified1. I think I must have been 12 or 13 by then. I remember opening up the bread to see if something was on it but couldn't tell since the mustard was yellow like the butter! I'm a bit better now, in the U.S. I do allow a small amount of our weaker mustard on a burger! JanF

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    1. I was always very careful at Church Teas to eat the ham sandwiches without mustard!

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  5. Warm soups are always great in winter.
    I had bean soup with lamb from the farmer... and because there was plenty of lamb, I had lentil soup with lamb yesterday :-)
    Your soup looks great too Angela.
    I've written an answer for you on my blog.
    Best regards, Viola

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    1. Lamb soups are delicious - and beans and lentils add extra flavour and protein. Thank you for the explanation about Meissen! 💙enjoy your skiing

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  6. DH is big on mustard and prefers Colman's, which is exactly the same as Keene's as far as I can tell. Anyway I guess Colman's here was bought out by Keene's, if I'm not mistaken. My father said that Colman's made a fortune out of mustard left on the plate.

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    1. I think Keens is now owned by McCormick spices. I have never seen it in UK shops, but it is very popular in Canada and Australia I understand

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