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Sunday 6 January 2019

Mustard



We haven't seen a glimpse of sunlight for days, the skies are unremittingly grey and dull.   The nearest I can come to some sunshine is this old recipe book, every recipe contains mustard, Colman's, of course.

The booklet was part of a very clever advertising campaign started in 1926, when Dorothy L Sayers was a young advertising copywriter.   She wrote most of the copy for the campaign, which was based around the fictional Mustard Club.

President of the club was Baron de Beef, other members were - Miss Di Gester, Lord Bacon, Augustus Gusto KC, Signor Spaghetti, Lady Hearty,  and Master Mustard.      People were encouraged to apply for membership of the club and at one time 10 women were employed to deal with the 2,000 applications for badges, which were received each day.    By the time the campaign came to an end there were 500,000 members of the club.

The 32 page booklet has sections of  recipes for fish, pig, mutton and beef, game and fowl, cheese, sandwiches, sauces and pickles, with mustard being used in all of them.

The rules of the Mustard Club were quite simple.

1.  Every Member shall on all proper occasions eat Mustard to improve his appetite and strengthen his digestion.

2.  Every Member shall once at least during every meal make the secret sign of the Mustard Club by placing the mustard-pot six inches from his neighbour's plate.

3.  Every Member who asks for a sandwich and finds that it contains no Mustard shall publicly refuse to eat same.

4.  Every Member shall see that the Mustard is freshly made, and no Member shall tip a waiter who forgets to put Mustard on the table.

5.  Each member shall instruct his children to "keep that schoolboy digestion" by forming the habit of eating Mustard.


The East Anglian Film Archive even has a spoof film - .Archive film reel showing members of the original Mustard Club. 




23 comments:

  1. I like mustard and used to mix it up but now buy it in a jar. Never realalised they made a short film wich is quite fun. Did you see how the spelt Meeting! Meating

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    1. I imagine they had a lot of fun making it, Bill. I was delighted to find the link. I'm not a fan of mustard as mustard, but I do use it as an extra bit of seasoning in savoury baking.

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  2. I stocked up on a big tin of Colmans Mustard when the company was sold last year just in case, but without Col to eat it I'll probably still have the tin full for about 20 years!
    Amazing what the East Anglian Film Archive have in their stock

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    1. You will be fine for mustard baths for a while then, Sue. I add some to cheese scones, quiches, etc, but otherwise the tin just sits on the shelf. I must have a browse around their stock, the Mustard Club was a little gem, but I imagine they have some really wonderful films in there.

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  3. My iMac is very old, and I don't try to update things like Adobe Reader anymore. So I can't see it. But I'll bet it is adorable.

    The illustration above, looks quite "Lucia-ish". And anything even remotely resembling "Lucia," is wonderful, in-my-book! :-))))

    ✨✨✨✨

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    1. It was very amusing, just an old black and white film based around some of the characters. I'm not sure who Lucia is, but the Mustard Club illustrations were by J. Gilroy, the small ones in the booklet are very amusing, my scanner was not complying so I just had to make do with one of the cover.

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  4. I think I should love to be in that Mustard Club, Elaine! I adore the flavor of mustard, but I could bet that I would love to read that book even more...lol! The book does emit some sunshine, and I will be working the wand to send some of this Florida sunshine off to you.

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    1. Most of the recipes are just a mustardy spin on traditional dishes, with additional ones developed by a cook. Dorothy L Sayers gave them amusing titles and then wrote a very funny little introduction and recommendation to each of them. They even had a chapter which exhorted vegetarians to join the club, coming with all manner of cheese, egg, and vegetable dishes, each of which required a goodly shot of mustard at some stage. I think the sunshine may have been delayed at the airport. :(

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  5. I loved reading about this history of the Mustard Club. What a treasure of a book you have! Pat

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    1. Hello Pat, old booklets like this keep me amused for hours - well, almost! I'm glad you enjoyed this little glimpse of it.

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  6. For some reason I use French mustard more than English but I love the idea of the Mustard Club. I remember I was a member of the Ovaltine club in the 50's - an Ovaltiney and we sang a song.

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    1. Perhaps the French mustard is a little milder than the English, which is pretty fierce and can certainly 'clear your tubes out'. Ah, the Ovaltiney song - I attended a dance festival last year, where the really tiny weeny children danced to it, sugary sweet, perhaps, but oh so cute!

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    2. I still have the membership certificate after all these years!

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  7. I did not know of bath mustard, but we had a yellow box of Colemans in the cupboard for ages.

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    1. I could be tempted to try out a hot mustard foot bath, but I don't think I would like to immerse my nether regions in mustard water - but perhaps I am a wimp!! Boston Brown Bread recipes are now to hand, just need to get one more ingredient and it will be baked, I am looking forward to trying it.

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  8. What a wonderful idea. Pity I can't send some sunshine your way. Forecast is for 26 - 28 degrees for the next week at least. Only downside is daily watering.

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    1. I would do your watering if you could send that sunshine and warmth, Susan. Once again the skies are grey, occasional drizzle is falling and the wind is gaining strength, but it could be worse!

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  9. Love the idea of the mustard club. Dorothy was inspired.

    We can get Coleman's here and always have a small pot. Love to see the look on people's faces when they have that first taste. So different from the usual dijon

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    1. She certainly was - and the book makes for quite amusing reading. I can see why it would have caught the public's imagination and participation, the 20/30's were 'difficult' days, no doubt they needed a bit of sunshine and fun and this campaign was definitely that. As to the first taste - ooops, especially if they have been heavy handed with it!!

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  10. A meal isn't right for me without mustard. Hubby disliked it which meant I could have more than my fair share. Strangely enough I don't bother making it now.

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    1. Perhaps you should treat yourself to a small tube of it, Val, see whether it still tickles your tastebuds and gets you back into that kitchen and enjoying your food...

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  11. How very funny! I read all of Sayers books many years ago.

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    1. It is years since I read any of hers, I should rectify that. I hope you are healing well, Marcia.

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Lovely to hear from you.
I will try to answer comments in the next post.