Maille Maille

I finally got into Green Park last week to have a nose at the Maille shop in Piccadilly which opened at the end of October.

This is the first London outpost of the successful French formula already in Paris and Dijon. It represents another outlet in the grand scheme of people doing one thing very well in order to promote their product and their brand.  I saw a lot of this in NYC and equally so there are plenty in London: doughnuts, coffee, pickles, oils, etc. It feels like the next iteration of the pop up culture so I guess it is a sign that sites are becoming available at prices that make sense. Roll on the food boutique.

The shop does a really great job of telling the story of this mustard brand. It was founded some 265 years ago and shares the history in simple bold ways: old mustard jars in the window, the brand story told on bold black and gold decor along with pictures on the wall and fun quotes throughout the staircase leading you upstairs. There are tasting bars both upstairs and down so that you can engage with the whole range of products and boy, what a range! For those of you who think there is only wholegrain and dijon mustard in the range, think again. There are over 60 mustard products here ranging from the simple to the crazy. The luxury end boasts truffle and Chablis, or simple Sauternes which can be bottled traditionally from the pump. Also a surprise to me was the range of oils, vinegars and pickles also under the brand.

Who knew there was so much you could do with mustard? This is a great place to find an unusual gift and to be treated to some good old fashioned service in a lovely retail environment.