In 1720, Mrs. Clements of Durham discovered that grinding mustard seeds like flour produced a stronger flavour. Before her breakthrough, mustard in England was a coarse affair, made into balls or pastes mixed with other spices that never unlocked the seed’s true fire.
Mrs. Clements revolutionised everything. She sourced local mustard seeds, often from Houghall Farm near Shincliffe, close to Durham. She removed husks and stalks, then milled only the pure seeds using techniques borrowed from flour production. The resulting fine powder was much more pungent.
This wasn’t just another condiment, it was Durham Mustard, and it changed British cuisine forever.
On one of her trips to London Mrs Clements managed to get her mustard in front of King George I whose imprimatur brought her orders from those wishing to follow the latest royal fashion. Royal approval was like a patent then. It meant everything.
The success rippled outward from Durham’s ancient streets. Durham farms now made a handsome income growing mustard as a crop, and pottery makers in nearby Gateshead thrived supplying jars for distribution. Farms growing mustard seed which fetched up to £100—serious money in those days.
Mrs Clements understood the value of her innovation well and kept the process secret for as long as possible. She travelled nationally with her product, carefully guarding her recipe. But competitors inevitably followed.
From Durham to Norwich
The business eventually passed to her son-in-law, with the name changing to Ainsley’s. Later, Colman’s of Norwich acquired the enterprise, the same company that still dominates English mustard today.
History remembers Mrs. Clements in an unexpected way. Colman’s yellow packaging and bull’s head logo, not any old head but that of the Durham ox, pays tribute to her legacy. It’s more than branding, it’s recognition of where English mustard truly began.
What started in Durham’s Saddler’s Yard in 1720 transformed mustard from regional specialty to household staple. Mrs. Clements—the “mother of mustard”—created a culinary tradition that endures three centuries later, one fiery spoonful at a time.
