For my money the best breakfast on the planet. This is desert island food. I’m a Marmite baby, my whole family was brought up eating Marmite. My brother would consume an entire loaf of bread, butter and Marmite when he got in from school.
My favourite bread is Vogels Soya and Linseed. My favourite butter is Brittany sea salt (Tesco’s finest Brittany butter is a good option in the UK) with large salt crystals that you can crunch.
My favourite condiment is Marmite. I know Australians and some New Zealanders prefer Vegemite but for me, Marmite is tops. I guess it depends what you were brought up with.
I’ve had Marmite in India, made in Indian factories. It was a lifesaver but had a slightly different taste. On another trip, whilst halfway through a year in South America, I met a woman who had just flown over from Britain. She had a pot of Marmite. I eyed it lustfully. She noted this, and charitably said that she had brought two and that I could have one of them. It’s hard to describe how good, almost a relief, it was to have some Marmite after six months of deprivation. Marmite also contains vitamin B12 which some claim repels mosquitos.
Here is a great link to Marmite history and information. For the record, I’d like to state the Marmite in a squeezy bottle is not as good but will do in a pinch for camping trips.
I’ve not tried a Marmite crisp sandwich, apparently popular in New Zealand. Great combinations include Marmite and tahini on toast, Marmite and melted cheese on toast, Marmite and tomato on toast.
I haven’t yet tried it on icecream as a topping but this is surely good… I must have a taste for umami foods, one of the five tastes (the others are sweet, sour, salty and bitter) as I also like parmesan, soy sauce, anchovies and salty liquorice. Salmiakki is the most orgasmic Finnish chocolate, filled with liquid salty liquorice.
I’d like to do a Marmite themed dinner for The Underground Restaurant. The chocolatier Paul A. Young makes Marmite chocolate truffles….mmm.
There will of course be some Marmite and cucumber sandwiches for The Underground Tea this Sunday.
’bout time you posted the marmite thing. I’m now thinking of Vegemite on Sourdough toast at Lantana’s. Thanks for the reminder!
What a star you are.
I was just thinking what to have for breakfast, and you’ve made up my mind.
I prefer sunflower and barly myseld, but they’re all lovely. And crunchy salty butter is what toast was made for.
When I said that Vogels is my favourite bread, I meant out of breads available in supermarkets. Sourdough bread is my absolute favourite…fresh.
Suave, nice to see you’ve made the jump from twitterland to my blog…all the Vogel breads are good aren’t they?
mmm think i’m going to have to make some now
I lurk normally. But this one made me jump for joy.
Marmite and crisp sarnies … can’t beat them ! … NZ Marmite is different than UK bit like vegemite but better of course ! 🙂
I think it’s time for an international yeast extract tasting! Which hemisphere will win?
Also what drink, other than tea of course, will match perfectly with Marmite?
A nice gerwurtztraminer?
I’ve gone for a strong black arabian coffee.
Good morning!!
Hmmmm. Yes, couldn’t agree more. Marmite on crumpets is good too. And makes any sandwich special.
I travel with a squeezy marmite. Weighs less and keeps better than the other companions of peanut butter and tartex. Plus gives a feel of real home comforts.
😀
I grew up in British Nigeria and we used to eat Marmite by the fingerful. Have you ever tried dipping chocolate in Marmite? It’s awesome. Live in US now, and we are getting more great products like Marmite and Golden syrup in our markets. Sadly it’s too expensive to eat for breakfast every day! I’ve raised my kids to love Marmite and we all get a jar in our stockings every Christmas.
Marmite and peanut butter on hot buttered black rye toast is my favourite breakfast. After buttering the toast you spread the peanut butter thickly, then follow it with a lovely big swirl of Marmite over the whole lot – YUMMY!
Marmite and tahini on toast is good too. I have been known to also add a bit of hot pepper sauce, which curdles the tahini. MMmm.
Or Marmite and hummous sandwiches, with anything – tomato, spinach leaves, avocado. I could probably even eat lettuce like this (one of the few foods I still reject).
Ms CE,
I don’t think crumpets are vegan…yeah but Marmite on crumpets is wicked eh
Maybe not your posh home-made ones, but Tescos own-brand definitely don’t contain anything animal related. Thanks for your concern though 😉
X
Ahhh, Marmite. Sex on toast. I grew up on it as well. One day for grade one, we had to do a showw-and-tell thing about our culture, and my dad’s English… so I brought in marmite on toast.
One kid puked.
Not a single person liked it. And while the rest of my class was running to the water fountain, I sat happily on the floor munching on my toast:P
Yay for Marmite!!
There’s something similar to Marmite in Germany, yeast extract, you can buy it in health food shops. It comes in a tube and it tastes just like Marmite – but without the bitterness at the end which makes it even nicer. It’s SO amazing on toast with butter. Mhh… I wish I had some here.
Brilliant writing. You’ve captured the very roof-of-the-mouth tang that lovely spread brings, but you’ve just destroyed my diet.
I can suffer it no longer. I have a jar of the sacred spread in the cupboard but no bread, or milk for that matter. So a trip to the shops it is, rain or no, and a wonderful Marmite on toast, mug of tea sesh to follow. I’ll let you know how it goes…the feast I mean, not the diet. Bugger the diet.
Lennie
Marmite and cheddar cheese… oh God, I’ve drooled all over my keyboard.
My sister swears by Marmite and banana on toast – for me it’s Marmite on Ryvita (especially the sunflower seed and oat ones) or just straight out of the jar!
Loving these comments…now top secret news…I met one of the guys from the Marmite office tonight…I got the impression, through a series of nudges and winks worthy of the Kremlin during the cold war, that Marmite may well be venturing into a Marmite and chocolate season.
I’ve been assured that I will be one of the first to know. I do hope they will keep their promise.
Matt: will have to try that. Perhaps with the new Walkers crisp flavours like Builders breakfast?
Scarlett:Marmite and peanut butter is a bit like tahni and marmite, the thick slightly sweet creaminess with the salt…
Fox: they puked???? yay!
Liz: my heart breaks for you…only at christmas???
Blackjack: well you will have to enter your German marmite into the competition.
Lennie: bugger all diets!
Alex: lol
Anon: Marmite and banana?
No,no, NO! We get a jar at Christmas, but we do buy it occasionally during the year as well! Sometimes for birthdays…:)
I agree with the comment about marmite on toast – hear it is fantastic but I haven’t had the nerve to try it yet… someone also told me a little secret about mashed avocado and brown sauce on toast…something I also need to try….
Mashed avocado with soy sauce and lemon is great on toast or just with lime and salt.
Marmite has a place in diets! There’s nothing in there that’s unhealthy?? Have it on a good quality wholegrain bread and it’ll keep you satisfied for hours. Any sort of diet that leaves you hungry/craving is baaaad.
I think Marmite is a taste to build up to. I love it, but all those people saying “straight out of the jar”…. EWWW!!! How can you do that? I suppose the way that I can eat raw garlic on toast, because I have built up a tolerance.
MMMM, avacado with lemon juice…. Also good with marmite and tahini. Yummy. Drool.
They have Baclava in my kitchen at work and I’ve had 4 pieces already. One short of inducing a sugar rush.
i too am a massive umami (and marmite) fiend. I agree that it is not as good from the squeezy bottle, mostly because I enjoy the sticky pot thing too much.
A spoon of marmite added into a thickly chopped winter vegetable stew was always one of the great additives when living out in the countryside.
Abso-bloomin-lootley! Marmite in veg stew is now ESSENTIAL! It also gives that certain kick to a veggie shepherd’s pie. Or put it in gravy!
I have squeezy now at my office desk – any loss of taste (I haven’t noticed any) is compensated for by convenience of not needing a knife.
I must admit I use to force myself to eat Marmite. It’s funny but the smell would always get me salivating but the taste didn’t agree. Took several years of endurance to fully appreciate the stuff and now I love it. You can educate the taste buds you know!
Have you tried marmite and fried egg sandwiches? Totally delicious!
Have you tried Walkers Marmite crisps? So good.
I am a lover of marmite too. You can’t beat marmite soldiers with a sfot boiled egg.
Haha I can post you a tube!! Mhhh… I really need to order some (i.e. ask Mum) asap!
Loved this post! Marmite is the ultimate comfort food, and your passion for it is infectious. The combinations you mentioned sound delicious—Marmite and melted cheese on toast are my favorite, too! And now I’m curious about trying Marmite on ice cream and those Marmite chocolate truffles. Thanks for sharing such delightful insights and memories!