Remember the old days?

Where is the love for good food gone?

I have decided (or may be it was decided for me) that I will make most of my food from scratch, creating a recipe until I get it right. My mum was a fantastic cook, making Jams, Bread, even Butter, and each meal from scratch.
I have to confess, though, that living in the countryside in the middle of nowhere had its rewards. I was served local, seasonal foods, such as freshly milled flour, milk so rich and tasty it will shame any shady liquid sold in plastic bottle or carton in a supermarket (near you, which i have avoided since moving to the UK), eggs so amazing in texture that I now tend to not fancy eggs, unless I can get them from one of my very good friends (who rescue cage chicken and look after them so they can actually die with dignity. After much rest and proper chicken food, the eggs produced are just simply creamy. Heaven!), and meat so tender, and a rainbow of vegetables that my dad grew in a 50 Sqm patch. and I knew how to appreciate it.
At 8 years of age, I have asked my father to have a patch to have my own vegetable garden, and grew everything from Beans to Salads, and from Sunflower to Corn, and radishes, and much more... depending on what my parents would allow me to buy from the farms, or I was given by my parents' friends, who were, as you might expect it, local farmers. 
I knew where food came from, I knew what it tastes like (or what it is supposed to look and taste like), and my palate was formed and it was only natural that food would become my whole life; decades as a Michelin-star trained chef, and now as a newly qualified  Nutritional Therapist and Naturopath. 

So today, I have come up with a new recipe for Wholegrain Mustard, an express one, no less. It took me 5 minutes to make. Although, I have soaked the mustard seeds overnight, but that would barely count. right?

Recipe

1 cup Mustard Seeds (Yellow and Brown)
100 ml Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (and a dash more to sanitise the jar)
1 Tbsp Real French Dijon Mustard (not the American-style, for it is too sweet and does not work)
Salt


Soak the Mustard Seeds overnight, Drain and Rinse well. Let to fully drain on its own in a sieve placed over a bowl.
Take 2 Tablespoons of the seeds and place in the bowl of a food processor, add the Dijon Mustard (this will prevent a potential bacterial development, as it is pasteurised), the vinegar, and seasoning, and blitz until smooth. It is ok if some seed bits remain. 
Decant the Mustard over the leftover seeds and mix well. 
Boil some water and very carefully pour the boiling hot water in the jar(s) you are planning to use, and screw lid tight.
After 20 minutes, drain, and dry with a very clean cloth, and pour some vinegar inside the jar. Place the lid and shake the jar for a few seconds. Throw the vinegar away and decant the mustard (but do not use a cloth to dry the jar, it is ok if there are a few drops of vinegar). Place in the fridge and use within 2 weeks to 1 month. 


Now, will you ever again buy overpriced Mustard from the shop, when it can be made instantly?