Why do we love Dijon Mustard?

I grew up on mustard and always had it in a simple vinaigrette with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. The beauty was that the dressing could be made as mild or powerful as us children could stand.

I remember that, as a kid, you would have your own preferred brand of mustard. We used to get through a lot, probably about a jar every two weeks. However, there was usually an ulterior motive – each of the glass containers had a collectable cartoon on it. So when we ate up our mustard, it was mainly so that we could get the next amazing cartoon!

These days, mustard plays such a big part in my kitchen. I make mayonnaise with Dijon mustard, adding some tarragon mustard for a fancier vinaigrette or, for a big ham, using it with rape seed oil for a glaze.

Moutarde is found on any good bistro table in France – the theory is that you should only eat in a place that keeps their mustard pots clean!