Marmite

Love it or hate it, right? Either way, we take it for granted. Like generations before me I was brought up on the stuff. Virtually indestructible, an opened jar can last for years but it survives only a matter of days at BD Mansions.

This lovely, thick, dark brown goo is probably named after the French stockpot featured on the label (la marmite). It may look like crude oil, but it’s healthy - low fat and low sugar, B vitamins and completely vegetarian. The only minor drawback is that it is a bit salty.

Its eco-friendly too, perhaps the ultimate recycled and yet wholly natural food product. Marmite is made from the waste, mostly spent brewers yeast, that is left after fermenting beer. In 1902 the Marmite Food Company (now owned by Unilever) was formed in Burton-on-Trent, where there were a large number of breweries. Before then brewers didn’t know what to do with it, and even today breweries like Bass still actually pay Marmite to take the stuff away to their factory!

The spent yeast is broken down to release soluble amino acids and proteins. This material is then concentrated and filtered before going through Marmite’s top secret process. This makes a basic yeast extract paste to which Marmite then adds vegetable and spice extracts plus a range of vitamins. And hey presto!

The smallest 57g jar has been dropped in favour of heretically squeezable version. The last tiny jar was auctioned on ebay by Marmite themselves. This came in a commemorative RIP box complete with authentication certificate and raised £235 for charity! This was actually my favourite size as it was a perfect fit in the travel luggage.

Talking of travel, Marmite say that 25% of Brits take it with them when they go on holiday, and that obviously includes me. While apparently available in 25 countries, I’m not going to trust to chance and run out!

Beware also of imitations made elsewhere, they all have different ingredients and in my opinion are a pale shadow of the real thing. Imagine my disappointment in New Zealand when I found a Kiwi version with sugar and caramel in it! I’m also particularly wary of Vegemite and Promite, the hugely inferior Australian products. So my advice for Marmite lovers abroad is always remember to pack a jar or look out for British imports. Inevitably there’s even a shop in the Dordogne that specialises in such Brit-treats!

Then there’s Bovril, the arch-enemy. While Bovril has ditched the meat extract and reformulated it to be vegetarian, its only use to me is as a winter hand warmer (never drunk) on a freezing football terrace at half-time.

Obviously Marmite is classic on toast or with cheese sandwiches, and a standard addition to soups and casseroles. There are cookbooks devoted to it too, and Gary Rhodes is a big fan. He serves up Marmite recipes in his Michelin starred Restaurant 24, including a Marmite and chocolate sauce made to pour over coffee ice cream. I’m still working up the courage for that one, but check out www.marmite.com for more recipe details. Wine matches are, however, pretty difficult, unless of course your wine is unexpectedly horrid. Try a Marmite Bloody Mary instead.

You’ll not be surprised to find that I am a member of the Love Marmite fan club. It doesn’t take much persuasion for me to proudly wear my authentic Vivienne Westwood designed Marmite T-Shirt, catwalk watchers! And of course, there is a Hate Marmite fan club, particularly useful as solace for long-suffering partners.

A final thought. Shouldn’t Marmite be part of the Slow Food movement? Seems to me Marmite is a uniquely genuine taste of British Heritage. As I’ve also heard it can be employed to deter the neighbourhood cats from using your garden, the next stop is Gardeners’ World.

Paul Howard, September 2006