Marmite

Love it or hate it....

Marmite has been around before 1680 believe it or not (is it that old? we hear you ask!). Well, the raw ingredients existed way back in the dark ages before 1680 - marmite is 'made from brewer's yeast that's been used to ferment sugars into alcohol' but Marmite itself was yet to be totally invented. People simply binned it before they knew better. Marmite as we know it was actually created in 1902 by the Marmite food company in Burton-on-Trent. A german scientist called Liebig had discovered that brewer's yeast cells could be concentrated bottled and eaten, and this little UK company thought that was a rather clever idea.

To this day the basic production of Marmite has changed very little and the recipe stayed totally the same. It has a high vitamin B content and because of this, the little jar was put into soldiers rations in World War I. In World War II it was used as a dietary supplement in prisoner of war camps (according to Marmite themselves). And in 1999 was sent over to Kosovo after requests from the British peace keeping forces at work out there.

The brand has barely changed too! The original jar and label was designed in the 1920s and since then it's essentially stuck. And whether you love or hate the stuff, you're almost sure to like the brand - after all the brand has expanded from tea towels, to recipe books to wallpaper (yes really!). Over the years the Marmite has played out various campaigns - 'The growing up spread you never grow out of' of the 70's, 'My mate Marmite' of the eighties and the more recent 'Love it or Hate it' campaign. Most recently Marmite has joined up with Paddington Bear to show that a little squeeze of marmite can make all the difference to a sandwich in order to showcase the new squeezey marmite.

A few facts

Best eaten: On toast with lots of butter

Owned by: Unilever

Vegetarian: 100% and a rich source of vitamin B12

Strange products: Marmite with Guiness