A Keen History

KEEN'S has long been a regular on the dinner tables of Australian households. In fact, KEEN'S has been around for over 200 years. We're proud of our heritage and our contribution to Australian food.

1801 KEEN's Mustard founder, Thomas Keen, is born in Camberwell, England

1825 Thomas marries Harriett Toulmin. In 1831, they move into The Elms, the Toulmin family home on High Street, Croydon flanked by two breweries: Nalder & Collyer and Crowleys. The home features a one-acre garden, including a heated glasshouse and a large rose garden - all tended to by head gardener, Mr Mason and his three assistants.

1857 Croydon's first church with free pews is built, St Andrews-Chapel-at-Ease, on land donated by Thomas in Southbridge Meadows. In 1861,it becomes St Andrews Parish church. The gesture reflects Thomas' reputation as a community benefactor.

1862 Thomas Keen dies on 17 February at the age of 61. Reporting on the funeral, The Croydon Chronicle reports "..the arrangements for the funeral of Mr Keen were for those of an English Gentleman. The general closing of the shops during the passage of the procession through the town was a spontaneous tribute to a good man's worth."

1862 Keen & Sons amalgamates with Robinson & Belville, manufacturers of patented groats and barley, to become Keen Robinson & Company.

1890's During a lull in traffic, workers at the Keen factory can hear the chimes of the Royal Exchange - set to the well-known song 'The Roast Beef of Old England'.

1893 Thomas and Harriett's home is demolished to make way for Edridge Road. The driveway becomes Masons Avenue, in honour of The Elms' gardener. A road near St Andrews Church is named Keens Road, in honour of Thomas.

1903 Keen Robinson & Company is acquired by Colman's of Norwich. It later merges with Reckitt & Sons.

1930's The KEEN'S Mustard Club is created. Members receive a Mustard Club Badge in the shape of a mustard pot and a booklet entitled Inner Secrets of the Mustard Club.

1940's The formula for a mustard footbath appears on the back of KEEN'S tins: "one of mustard, two of flour, leave it on for half an hour."

1995 Unilever purchases the condiment side of Reckitt & Colman. Reckitt & Colman retains the Colman part of its name and continues to make mustard - the famous American mustard called French's. Outside of the UK, in places such as Canada and Australia, Colman's still sells its mustard under the KEEN'S name.

1998 KEEN'S Mustard finds its home with McCormick Foods Australia.

1998 KEEN'S asks Australians to search their homes for nostalgic KEEN'S memorabilia. The search uncovers historic advertisements and even an original mustard powder tin dating back to 1904.

2000 KEEN'S Mustard takes the memorabilia on tour to share with the rest of Australia.

2008 A new website launches, as well as the inaugural "KEEN AS" Cup in honour of the mustard with a very spicy history.

To be continued ...

Kings, cures & your dinner table. The History of Mustard.

While mustard appeared in recipes as early as 42AD, it was not until the 1720s that mustard appeared on English tables.

In 1720, that all changed when a woman named Mrs Clement, who lived in Durham, began grinding mustard seeds very smoothly. She then put her ground seeds through a mill and sieved them to remove the hulls. Her smoother style of mustard was a hit and is why this style of mustard is known as 'Durham Mustard'.

When King George I became a devotee, nobody would eat beef without mustard. This is reflected in historic KEEN'S Mustard advertising, which states that 'meat needs mustard' and 'mustard makes the meal'.

Add some extra flavour to meat, fish, dips, sandwiches and more with authentic KEEN'S Mustard Powder.

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A Keen History

Kings, cures & your dinner table. The History of Mustard.

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