Whatever happened to English mustard?

[RogerS]

Can you remember the last time you went out for a meal and were offered 'proper' mustard? You know, the real mustard freshly made from powder out of the tin and not some putrid vinegary ersatz version out of a pot? Sadly, I can't.

Great shame that....s'when the 'rot' set in, I reckon...that and fax machines.

French mustard ? ...least said.

And as for that execrable Grey PooPoo mustard found in the USA....

 

[TobyDavidson]

find yourself some Tracklements. That is nice English Mustard from the West Country.

 

[jpt]

The answer to this is H&S again.

years ago you were offered mustard and other sauces in nice little pots on a tray and you chose what you wanted and transfered it to your plate with a little spoon.

H&S brought in new rules which basically mean that they would have to have a new pot for each customer, which is time consuming and costly.

The posher resturants which charge you £50 for just walking in the door can, and I have been told still do, afford to offer you this, but for the rest it is either some type of bottle which can be cleaned or those horrible little sachets of gunge which go everywhere when you try to open them.

The world has gone mad.

john

 

[woodbloke]

Roger - whole grain Djion mustard is the stuff...I likes a bit of snorker with it as well (as does my daughter) - Rob

 

[lurker]

The answer to this is H&S again.

years ago you were offered mustard and other sauces in nice little pots on a tray and you chose what you wanted and transfered it to your plate with a little spoon.

H&S brought in new rules which basically mean that they would have to have a new pot for each customer, which is time consuming and costly.

The posher resturants which charge you £50 for just walking in the door can, and I have been told still do, afford to offer you this, but for the rest it is either some type of bottle which can be cleaned or those horrible little sachets of gunge which go everywhere when you try to open them.

The world has gone mad.

john

You do talk some old bol*&k$
Where is your evidence?

Roger, I'd imagine its due to lack of demand too strong for some.
Take your own little pot

 

[jpt]

Thank you lurker for your very nice and polite reply.

My son is in the resturant and catering trade and has been for years this comes from him.

If you want evidence he says have a look on the FSA site it should be on there somewhere.

john

 

[davegw]

I asked for English Mustard in a "posh" resturant (attached to the 4 star hotel I was staying in) and got wholegrain dijon! I sent it back and ended up speakin to the manager! Got my Colmans mustard in the end though, in a little pot, with a spoon so that I could choose how much I 'ad

 

[Racers]

Hi,

My wife went out for a meal with her sisters some time ago and she was the only one to have mustard from a pot, and also the only one who was sick all night.

Pete

 

[lurker]

Sorry John ,

I get cheesed off with folks blaming H&S for everything when in fact its nothing of the sort.

I promise you both HSE and Food Safety agency have got far more important things to worry about. The cross infection is negligible

It will be down to cost cutting - real mustard goes "crusty" and unappetising looking whereas the vinegary ones don't.
Its most likely your son's management spun this silly tale, as people don't argue about elf n safety.

 

[jpt]

HI Lurker no problem

I know what you mean about H&S when it is usually some over paid under worked civil servant or such like trying to justify their position and salary.

In this case though it did come from the FSA or similar body. It was another one of those badly written laws/rules that instead of being written properlly to target the area they were aiming at it was as usual a scatter gun effect which had effects on other areas.

It happened about 5/6 years ago, if I remember correctlly. At the time where my son worked they had a tray with about 20 different sauces on which was taken to the tables when requested. Each pot had an individual spoon and the pots were changed at least every hour if not sooner so they always looked fresh. The tray was kept in a small cooler between being used. The sauces were a mixture of brought in and made on the premecise.

They had a visit from the inspectors and one of them spotted the tray being used and mentioned that they could no longer do this because of this regulation. The company checked and found that it did stop them from offering this service so they changed the procedure.

What they then started to do, and still do, is if a customer asked for sauce the waiter would go and get individual pots made up for that customer by one of the lower chefs. This system is more expensive and time consuming but the customers like it and it is within the rules.

john

 

[RogerS]

HI Lurker no problem

I know what you mean about H&S when it is usually some over paid under worked civil servant or such like trying to justify their position and salary.

In this case though it did come from the FSA or similar body. It was another one of those badly written laws/rules that instead of being written properlly to target the area they were aiming at it was as usual a scatter gun effect which had effects on other areas.

It happened about 5/6 years ago, if I remember correctlly. At the time where my son worked they had a tray with about 20 different sauces on which was taken to the tables when requested. Each pot had an individual spoon and the pots were changed at least every hour if not sooner so they always looked fresh. The tray was kept in a small cooler between being used. The sauces were a mixture of brought in and made on the premecise.

They had a visit from the inspectors and one of them spotted the tray being used and mentioned that they could no longer do this because of this regulation. The company checked and found that it did stop them from offering this service so they changed the procedure.

What they then started to do, and still do, is if a customer asked for sauce the waiter would go and get individual pots made up for that customer by one of the lower chefs. This system is more expensive and time consuming but the customers like it and it is within the rules.

john

So I wonder what's the difference between the tray in your example and the tray that Indian restaurants bring round with the hot limes etc? Or do they not do it anymore either? Jobsworths....pah!

 

[TrimTheKing]

the tray that Indian restaurants bring round with the hot limes etc? Or do they not do it anymore either? Jobsworths....pah!

They very much do, only only Saturday night did I experience this very service.

Saying that, I was probably eating one of the local cats, so the lime pickle would be the least of my worries

 

[RogerS]

the tray that Indian restaurants bring round with the hot limes etc? Or do they not do it anymore either? Jobsworths....pah!

They very much do, only only Saturday night did I experience this very service.

Saying that, I was probably eating one of the local cats, so the lime pickle would be the least of my worries

Interesting and explains why rules/regulations and jobsworths get such a bad name. Inconsistency or what?

Legislation probably thrown together without thought to pander to some MP who maybe...just maybe and no causal link...or if it was, then a one off - just like the underlying rationale for Part P.....once got a gyppy tummy.

 

[lurker]

I maintain there is no legistlation.

At worst a P*ss poor Local Authourity EHO

 

[bodgermatic]

I won't get into the HSE debate on this one, but I was visiting my sister and family in Exeter the other week and we went out for lunch. Chain pub at the nicer end of the scale, but certainly not a posh place - and I was pleasantly surprised to be offered a vast condiments tray. We were sat next to the serving station, and the whole tray came out of a little fridge and went back in afterwards. I had the horseradish rather than the mustard so I can't comment on vinegar or otherwise

 

[Peter T]

I won't get into the HSE debate on this one, but I was visiting my sister and family in Exeter the other week and we went out for lunch. Chain pub at the nicer end of the scale, but certainly not a posh place - and I was pleasantly surprised to be offered a vast condiments tray. We were sat next to the serving station, and the whole tray came out of a little fridge and went back in afterwards. I had the horseradish rather than the mustard so I can't comment on vinegar or otherwise

Same thing at our local pub/eatery of choice.

When they deliver the food, they ask if you want any sauces. If you do, they go and get the tray from the fridge.

Always fresh and the English mustard is to die for

 

[newt]

Plus the fact that nothing nasty could possibly live in english mustard anyway.

 

[RogerS]

Are we talking 'real' English mustard as in really hot and no added vinegar or preservatives, Pete?

 

[newt]

Roger yes the real hot stuff, that at first makes you sneeze

 

[big soft moose]

The posher resturants which charge you £50 for just walking in the door can, and I have been told still do, afford to offer you this, but for the rest it is either some type of bottle which can be cleaned or those horrible little sachets of gunge which go everywhere when you try to open them.

our local (the crown - broad hinton, which is well wort a visit if you are in the area) which is in no way expensive - average meal is about a tenner a head, does propper mustard in a pot - i asked the land lady about the H&S and she said its not an issue as its made up fresh each time anyway because it loses its bite if kept made up.