Three of the sweetest words in the English language are “pass the mustard”. By passing the mustard, you are handing on centuries of tradition and a noble and complex art; not to mention a pungent, appetising relish for your roast beef, sausages, pork pie or ham sandwich.

But mustard belongs in the kitchen as much as on the table, as a seed, an oil, a powder and a paste.

Its warm fire is a short cut to flavour, kicking bland food and simple meats into something more interesting.

So slip a spoonful of grain mustard into mashed potato to make a great partner for pork, rabbit and fish. Use mustard oil for curries and dressings, or add a spoonful to your Bramley apple sauce. Doctor mayonnaise with a little mustard for potato salads, and tomato ketchup with mustard for hamburgers. Sear a couple of pork chops, smear with mustard and breadcrumbs, and bake until crusty. Make a tangy mustard pickle, or piccalilli. And, always, add a little Dijon — just the tip of a knife blade’s worth — to a vinaigrette for a salad or vegetable dressing, to give it oomph and to help it emulsify.

In France, the seeds are first soaked in vinegar, white wine or verjuice, releasing an enzyme called allyl senevol that makes for a subtle flavour, whether it is in the mellow grain mustard of Meaux or the creamy, elegant Dijon from Burgundy. But les rosbifs often prefer their own mustard, a fierier substance owing to the milled seeds being blended with water. It matters little which you choose, as long as you remember to pass it on.

Piccalilli

Prep: 60min
Cook: 20min
Makes 1kg

These sweet mustard pickles, ancestors of the Ancient Romans’ mustard-preserved vegetables, are too good to save for just the Christmas ham. Make them now, in time for summer’s barbecues, sandwiches, picnics and cold meat salads.

1kg cauliflower
500g white onions, peeled
1 sweet red pepper, seeded
200g fine green beans, topped
1 small red chilli
3tbsp salt
1 cucumber
1tbsp salt
600ml clear malt vinegar
400g white sugar
2tsp capers, rinsed
3tsp turmeric
2tbsp dry mustard powder
half tsp curry powder
half tsp ground ginger
2tsp brown mustard seeds
1tsp salt
4 level tbsp cornflour

METHOD

Cut the cauliflower into individual florets, finely chop the onions and red pepper, cut the beans in 2cm lengths and finely slice the chilli.

Place in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt.

Add cold water to cover and leave overnight, tossing once or twice.

Cut the unpeeled cucumber in half lengthwise, and scoop out and discard the seeds. Dice cucumber into 1cm cubes, toss with 1tbsp salt and leave for 30min, then rinse well and drain, gently squeezing out excess water. Drain the vegetables.

Bring the vinegar and sugar to the boil in a large non-reactive pot, stirring. Add the vegetables, cucumber and capers and bring back to the boil.

Mix the turmeric, dry mustard, curry powder, ginger, mustard seeds, salt and cornflour together, and moisten with a little cold water to make a paste.

Gradually add to the pot, stirring constantly until it boils and thickens.

Simmer for 10min. Pour into warm, sterilised jars and seal.

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