In Search of Mustard in Norwich

The Food Programme

Five years ago, after 160 years in Norwich, the Colman's factory shut its doors for the last time.

John Osborne is a writer, a poet and a performer - he's called Norwich home for 25 years. But last year, while writing a show about his city, he began to learn more about the depth of the history of Colman's, and he started to wonder why more people don't know about it.

Between Jeremiah Colman, James Colman, Jeremiah James Colman and many many generations since, an entire empire was built on the back of these humble seeds. The company had a cradle-to-grave ethos, providing education, housing, healthcare and leisure for workers and their families. All of which means the factory, the school buildings, the churches, even the entire village of Trowse is still a part of the fabric of the city. Now, everywhere he looks in Norwich, from the double yellow lines, to the big yellow boxes on the pavement full of sand for de-icing the concrete in winter... John sees mustard.

Hundreds of people worked at the factory, and as its doors shut in 2020, a crowdfunder was underway to launch a new Norwich mustard. Five years on, the mustard is nowhere to be found. Even the famous mustard shop, where everyone went for Christmas presents for their relatives, is gone. So John wants to rediscover this history, and along the way find out what's happened to Norwich's mustard. After all, the bright yellow labels on shelves all over the world still proudly read Colman's "of Norwich". As it turns out, thanks to the determination of the local mustard farmers, mustard never really left Norwich at all...

Presented by John Osborne Produced in Bristol by Polly Weston