Unilever has put Colman’s Mustard up for sale as it prepares to sell its food operations to McCormick for $15.7bn (£11.6bn). The sale is intended to address potential competition concerns because McCormick already owns French’s Mustard, while Colman’s remains a long-established British household brand.

Rothschild has reportedly begun approaching potential buyers, although no price has been disclosed and sources said the brand’s value was not material to the wider transaction. Founded by Jeremiah Colman in 1814 and acquired by Unilever in 1995, Colman’s has operated for more than two centuries; Unilever said discussions were ongoing and normal operations would continue.