The MARMITE trend spreads

Marmite was first created in 1902, when brewers in Staffordshire began to use the yeasty by-product of beer making to create a tasty spread for bread. The sticky brown stuff has divided opinions for over a hundred years now – as the recent advertising campaign admits, ‘you either love it or you hate it’ – but Marmite is no ordinary spread. It’s much more than that – it’s become a symbol of Britishness, a reassuring brand that has stood the test of time, and a design icon in its own right. And, with the recession in full swing, Marmite designs have never been cooler.

Check out these stunning Pop Art style canvases from Bloomsbury Store – I particularly like the one on the left with the green background. You can get silver Marmite jar lids from Notonthehighstreet, a Marmite recipe book from Amazon, and Dualit has released a limited edition Marmite toaster.

These pastel-coloured Pop Art Marmite accessories are stocked at Rockett St George, Rustic Angels and Gift to Go.

Fact of the day: Marmite originally came in a small earthenware pot, similar to the kind of French casserole dish called a ‘Marmite‘, (pronounced MAR-MEET). This is where Marmite gets its name from, and there’s still a little picture of the earthenware pot on the label today. Yorkshire mail-order company Pheasant sells stunning handmade Marmite teapots, as well as other vintage food container creations…

Marmite isn’t just a homes trend – it’s even popped up on the catwalk. Check out the Marmite T-shirt below right, designed by Vivienne Westwood, and sold in the official Marmite Shop.

I am firmly in the LOVE IT camp myself, and have been known to eat the stuff straight from the jar! It’s not everybody’s cup of tea thought – my mum had an unfortunate French exchange partner in the 1960s who assumed it was chocolate spread so smothered a piece of toast with it, and got a nasty shock! – Ellie