 |
| With
products given names such as Kama Sutra, Naughty, Sizzling Hot and Wicked,
you could be forgiven for thinking that Muriel and Michael Wallis were
in a completely different line of business - in fact, they make mouthwatering
mustards, pickles, sauces, preserves and chutneys. The business started as a hobby 12 years ago when Michael, then a haulage contractor, bought 201b of cheap plums, on a whim, from a roadside stall. Plum pies and jam led to experiments with mustards and pickled onions, and soon, armed with jars of whatever was in season, they started selling at craft fairs and their local pub in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. Now their range includes, among others, 10 mustards (one's called Victoria Spicy, after their eldest granddaughter), seven chutneys, four marmalades and a dangerously hot chilli sauce that they've named Wild Thing. The pair devise their own recipes and like to draw on local tradition: they recently created a mustard using McMullen's Ale from nearby Hertford, and they also make a delicious Hertfordshire sweet pickle. Using ingredients that are as natural as possible, they grind their own spices and mustard seed (in a giant coffee grinder), and reduce their recipes naturally, without adding flour, meaning that all but one of their products is gluten-free. "We think of our grandchildren eating them and we make all of our products as pure as possible, like our mums used to," says Michael. Muriel's Home Made mustards are available by mail order. Two 100g jars for £3, including p & p; other products can be found in shops in Hertfordshire and London; call (01992) 429382 for details. |