I have had a battle with mustard over the years. After trying that powdered English stuff that used to be popular about 20 years ago, I abstained from putting myself through the misery again. That is until someone persuaded me to try a dollop of Maille mustard with a salad a couple of years ago. I didn’t love it straight away but it was a lot more pleasurable than my first experience.
I was invited to the Maille mustard pop up in Shoreditch, which was hosted by Ms Marmite Lover a few weeks ago and couldn’t say no – partly because I wanted to try the new range, which includes honey mustard and mayonnaise with a hint of mustard and partly because I was allowed to take a guest and my boyfriend is the biggest mustard fan.
We turned up to Spitalfields market on a Friday evening and I was surprised to see a small pop up located just in front of the main entrance. It looked beautiful and featured stained wood with beautifully packaged Maille products decorating. The boutique was inspired by those of Paris and Dijon and gave us diners a real insight into the world of mustard. We were seated around the bar and offered a ‘Mustardy Mary’ to start us off. I couldn’t drink this – despite one of my favourite foods being delicious, juicy tomatoes, as soon as I put the juice version to my lips, a slightly unpleasant gag takes place. So I had to apologise and make my excuses.
We were also treated to a Gravadlax, honey mustard and red endive canape before the cooking got underway. It was totally and utterly lip smackingly beautiful – I would probably go so far as to say that it was one of the best canapes I have ever had. The honey mustard is the newest addition to Maille’s mustard range. I’d love to try it glazed on roast chicken – the thought is making my mouth water a little bit.
Next up was a whole artichoke. Now, I don’t think I was the only person that had never tried it before – there were a few confused faces around. Luckily, Marmite showed us how to eat it – slather the Dijon mustard on the bottom, place your chops around it and get the fleshy bit out with your teeth. I was in heaven – what a simple but delicious dish.
The main arrived and I was pleased to see smoked haddock with wholegrain mustard, cheese and Asian greens. Smoked haddock isn’t usually one of my favourite pieces of fish but it was tasty. The mustard and cheese worked so well together. Simply smother the fish with mustard, add a sprinkle of cheese and bake it in the oven.
I was a bit nervous about the dessert – Mostarda tutti frutti ice cream with berries, mint sugar and mustard candy floss. But all worries were diminished when I placed the spoon in my mouth. I particularly enjoyed the candy floss and just loved learning that Marmite has her very own candy floss machine. Who else?
As if dessert was not enough, we were also treated to a fantastic cheese board with Moustardier, Charollais, Langres, Comté and palmiers.
I had a great evening – the wine flowed, my fellow diners were lovely and we had a good old laugh. Maille has a large range of mustards, sauces, vinegars and mayonnaise, which you can see here.
