The family taking on Colman's Mustard's Norfolk crown

Essence Foods, which is owned by Sarah Savage and her two sons - Edward and Archie - started looking into locally growing and producing mustard when, in 2020, Colman's announced it was leaving Norwich after 160 years in the city. 

Although the food giant has continued to invest in Norfolk - growing its mustard seeds at local farms and having its mustard powder milled at Easton - the family was worried that the move would see Norfolk lose part of its heritage and decided it was the right time for a small, independent business to start offering an alternative Norfolk mustard. 

Essence Food handmakes the mustard at its site on the outskirts of Dereham (Image: Newsquest)

"We were already making dry mustard powder mixes for the Colman's Norwich store as their production lines were so massive they needed a local producer to make the mixes on a much smaller scale. 

"When they left the Carrow site we saw that there was a gap in the market to reinvent Norfolk mustard. 

"We knew it was going to be such a short space of time, with a very limited window to do it, otherwise there were other companies that would come along and take that space." 

Essence Foods sells the mustard under its Montys range (Image: Newsquest)

The Savage family admits it hasn't been an easy process.  

"In some respects, it was not the process of putting it in the ground that was the trickiest part for us but actually finding the seed to grow," said Archie Savage.

"It took six months of deep research to find the right seeds. 

"When we finally did, we worked with a local farmer to get it in the ground and grow it for us.

"Because the mustard is grown on one farm, as far as we are aware, we have the only single-estate mustard in Europe."

The family also run an onsite cafe where customers can watch the mustard being made (Image: Newsquest)

Essence Foods handmakes all the mustard, which it sells under its Montys range, at its Old Dairy site at Stanfield just north of Dereham. 

Mrs Savage used her previous job in product development for Marks and Spencer, to create the recipe. 

The mustard sold by Essence Foods has a different taste to normal English mustard, Mr Savage said. 

He added: "We have developed a manufacturing process to take out the searing heat.

"It also hasn't got that acidity that you get with traditional English mustards, which is the burning heat you get at the top of your nose."

A label being added to a jar of Essence Food's mustard (Image: Newsquest)

The hard work has paid off as the mustard has proven a hit with customers and has helped the business attract the attention of the prime-time Channel Four programme Aldi's Next Big Thing. 

"We were asked to go on the television show and our episode is due to air on Thursday, November 17 at 8pm," said Mrs Savage. 

"During the programme we pitched our product, along with five other companies, to get the opportunity to supply Aldi nationally, which was a fantastic opportunity. 

"For us, the negotiation and discussion focused very heavily on product integrity and you could see they loved our branding and they loved our product."

Essence Foods also produces a range of jams and marmalades (Image: Newsquest)

Along with the mustard, the family continue to produce a range of jams and marmalades that Mrs Savage has been making since founding the company in 2005. 

Despite its ongoing success, the business has been hit by a range of challenges including having to shut down during the Covid lockdowns and soaring inflation and energy prices this year. 

Mr Savage said: "Inflation has been the biggest thing for us.

"It has impacted the object the product goes into - glass is a crazy expensive price now. 

"Cardboard is also expensive - we're paying nearly £1 for a box."

Sarah Savage with her two sons, Edward and Archie, outside The Old Dairy (Image: Newsquest)

"Businesses are doing their best to keep going and hold their price points, but it's really hard when everything is going up," added Mrs Savage. 

"The only thing that hasn't gone up is business rates."

Although it is a challenging time for the business, the family said that support from the local community for the mustard they are producing has helped. 

"There is a real passion for Norfolk mustard," said Mrs Savage. 

"It seems to really matter to have mustard growing and being produced in Norfolk."