• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Snapchat
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MsMarmiteLover

  • Food
    • Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
  • Travel
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • UK
  • Wine
  • Gardens
  • Supperclubs/Events
  • About
    • Published Articles
    • Books
  • Shop
    • Cart

Judging Marmite

October 16, 2011 4 Comments Filed Under: Uncategorized

There are some perks in having the blogger ‘nom de pixel’ MsMarmitelover: last week I was invited to join a panel at the Royal College of Art to judge designs for the next range of Marmite merchandise.
We were looking for something to replace the current line, based on Andy Warhol’s style, and we sat all afternoon while a dozen or so talented students showed us their ideas. The winner would see their design produced on mugs, plates, etc.
Here is the brief:

Marmite brief

The panel consisted of:

·         Rupert Pick, creative and planning director, Hot Pickle
·         Nicola Hattersley, John Lewis senior cookshop buyer
·         Roxana Parvizi, Brand Manager of Marmite
·         Donna Wilson, designer of the year 2010
·         Corinne Julius, journalist and broadcaster who writes on fashion, design and craft for Radio 4 and Evening Standard
·         Clare Johnston, head of the textiles department at the RCA
·         Mark Prescott, director at Spark

The Marmite brand lady talked about Marmite: it only has a shocking 9% ‘penetration’ (the percentage of shoppers that buy it). Few ‘pre-families’ buy it. What/who are ‘pre-families’? People who haven’t settled down and had kids yet. People have Marmite in the family home, but when they leave to go to university, they don’t continue to buy it. But they start buying it again when they have kids. We need to encourage our young people to buy Marmite!
It was difficult to pick a winner. Every student was stunningly gifted but we had to consider if the designs would translate to mugs, tea towels, plates, oven gloves. We also had to think whether the designs would have longevity; the range is planned to come out at the end of 2012.
For instance, I love the shabby chic retro look, but part of the appeal may be based on the fact that we are living in times of economic uncertainty. We are not looking to the future, but the past. Assuming we will be buried in double dip austerity during 2012, will we be desperate for a bright cheery futurist vision by then?
  “What did people buy after the last Great Depression?” I asked finally.
“Well we went straight into World War II”grimaced Corinne “but after that it was the New Look and the fifties”. Ah yes, the kodachrome colour palette of the nuclear pop star Elvis….
It’ll be interesting to see what happens next in the zeitgeist as reflected in design.

Jessica Meek came up with an Orla Kiely influenced fabric design. We liked her boxer shorts. Much of Marmite merchandise is for ‘gifting’ rather than ‘self-purchasing’ (retail lingo for buying it for yourself) and Marmite boxer shorts would be a great Christmas gift. (And men are always so hard to buy for). I would have liked to have seen Marmite bra and knickers. There is something naughty, even S & M about Marmite don’t you think?

 Amy Ellis’ drawings, nicely done but perhaps too reminiscent of drinks packaging?

 Amelia Mullins accurately pinpointed the humour in the Marmite brand. She did photographic research of ‘haters’ and ‘lovers’, their expressions. This is her grandad loving it.

She cam up with a ‘happy families’ concept of different characters loving or hating Marmite. I really liked this, it also had retro advertising appeal.
I loved the originality of Ruth Holt’s Marmite weaving, using the colours and cleverly playing with proportions. (Reminded me also of travelling in Bolivia, where each village has a weaving style for their ‘mantas’)
Charlotte Brown harked back to the 1902 beginnings of the Marmite brand with her Victorianesque ‘Marmite Men’. I would probably buy plates ect with these designs as it would go with the look of my kitchen. But there weren’t any ‘Marmite Ladies’ and it was a bit too Phileas Fogg in style. 
The John Lewis lady remarked that the most popular selling kitchen colour, apart from neutrals, is red. 

This took weeks to cross-stitch, the student even took it on holiday, but it was left unfinished. I like it that way.

 I really loved this embroidered and quilted marmite designs from Alexandra Palmowski but it was felt that it wouldn’t translate onto ceramic.

 Lily Kamper used her trademark style of graphic lines in her Marmite project. The panel weren’t sure that the lines translated properly….they could look like birthday cake candles. Beautifully drawn though.

Carlo Volpi almost had it with his ornate marmite designs on paper and knitwear but they were a bit too goth, too dark for people’s kitchens. Carlo, an Italian, had never tasted Marmite until he entered this competition!

 Expressionist Marmite from Tiphaine Alston. We loved the paintings but weren’t sure it would work as home ware.

 She even did a mock up of her design on a bus.

 Lichtenstein themed designs from Joanna Burdett in a beautifully presented and executed project. Panellists were a little worried that it was too similar to the Andy Warhol style merchandise.

Interesting Miro influenced work by Ying Wu. Expounding on Marmite’s heritage British qualities she said “And here we have a traditionally British animal, the owl, showing that you can eat Marmite at night or by day”. Huh? Is an owl typically British? Perhaps in Harry Potter. It’s always interesting to see how others see us.
Ying also did a clever Mondrian style depiction of Marmite.
It was a long afternoon’s work and a tough decision to decide the winner. We plumped for Joanna Burdett’s Lichtenstein designs which were also the most popular on Facebook with 100 ‘likes’. She’d worked outside in industry prior to coming to the Royal College and her sheer professionalism and experience was evident in her well thought out presentation. As well as nurturing their design talent, the Royal College of Art teach students how to sell their work to companies, essential skills and it really paid off for Joanna. 

Recent posts

High protein recipes: roast tofu block

July 2, 2025

Sour cherry and rose ice cream recipe

June 28, 2025

Midsummer Supper Club 21st June 2025

June 1, 2025

Previous Post: « White chocolate fondant cake for Trish Deseine
Next Post: The Testicle Tree, stones and stoners »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lou

    October 17, 2011 at 11:49 am

    Cool. Very interesting. Off to make Marmite on Toast.

    I am reminded that I once smeared marmite over a beef joint and slow roasted it. Very yummy.

    Reply
  2. Linda McMullan

    October 17, 2011 at 2:10 pm

    Love this post. All the designs are good, but Joanna and Jessica's were my favorites! Ditsy dots repeated in a design is comforting when faced with double dip recessions… Can't really say why, except it feels retro and familiar.

    Reply
  3. maratanga

    October 17, 2011 at 3:55 pm

    wow – what a fun thing to do! I'm a massive Marmite fan. can't wait to see the new designs come out next year.

    Reply
  4. UK Dining

    October 18, 2011 at 12:30 pm

    Astounding that only 9% of people buy it. Who'd have thought it? Can't imagine not having a pot in the cupboard!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

msmarmitelover

I wrote this long read for @scotnational about the I wrote this long read for @scotnational about the anti G8 camp in Stirling to protest against the G8 in Gleneagles. I partipated in the camp & protest along with my daughter @siennamarla playing in the samba band, part of the Pink Bloc. The camp was an incredible experience- the possibility of a different type of politics, of horizontal democracy. It was also a lot of fun. But our protest was tragically overshadowed by the 7/7 bombings in London. We wanted to create a new world but by the actions of a few disaffected British Muslim terrorists our positive movement for change was drowned out by hideous violence against normal ordinary people. Here is my account. 20 years anniversary #7/7 #londonbombings #scotland #antig8 #protest #gleneagles
Cheap stuff. Since the pandemic money has been tig Cheap stuff. Since the pandemic money has been tight. I shop at Lidl and aldi for food, Vinted, Portobello and Primark for clothes. The first pic is gazpacho with a banderilla from Lidl. They often have Spanish weeks and other nationality foods at a bargain price. I love those huge cartons of gazpacho- I glug it down like juice, especially in the heat. The banderillas are sold by the jar. Second pic is me in a primark vest, cardi, with an Anthropologie sale belt and old denim shorts from 10 years ago. Sorry about the mess behind, I sold a piece of furniture, a desk I found on the street, painted enamel green with ‘bamboo’brass handles which I sold on eBay for £225 #needsmust #thrift
My tea book Msmarmitelover’s secret tea party is My tea book Msmarmitelover’s secret tea party is now out on the cookbook app @ckbk it’s now out of print but you can still buy some print copies via me or Amazon. However you can see all the recipes ( like my sour cherry icecream which I served last week) on this site which is like a Spotify for cooks. Arguably afternoon tea is a meal which the English do better than any other country. #cookbooks #afternoontea #supperclubs
Saturdays midsummer supperclub was mostly a bbq on Saturdays midsummer supperclub was mostly a bbq on the @biggreenegguk I divided the meal into fragrance families: vegetal, fougere (fern), green notes, fresh: asparagus, garden artichokes on the bbq, dolmades made from my garden vine leaves. Then citrus fragrances with yuzu, 🍊 🍋 bergamot glaze, salmon, smoked tofu steaks, vegan smoked salmon carrot. Next spice which in perfume is oriental spices: bbq mini aubergines with paprika seed oil, home ground garam masala, a tahini caper dressing. Then wood and resinous fragrances using rosemary oil brushed bbq mini peppers, pine syrup on labneh, mushrooms a la grecque with juniper, finally the floral family of fragrance with sour cherry and rose icecream, lavender shortbread  hearts and orange flower water meringue kisses. It was a lively warm evening- children were welcome. There was a bonfire, lots of wine and laughter. I buy welding gloves £12 from Amazon  to use with the bbq. I also use @pomoragoodfood oils #london
With my home grown artichokes, grown from seed for With my home grown artichokes, grown from seed for tonight’s supperclub.
Sour cherries from the garden for my midsummer sup Sour cherries from the garden for my midsummer supperclub in the garden this Saturday 21st June. Tickets available, link in bio. Also at this link: https://substack.com/redirect/5a700a44-49c1-4e6d-834f-8d4851f98f45?j=eyJ1IjoiMWUzYm4ifQ.njFJL9K8WpzSqVZ5HFSvq84gnJeUD7reFZV9LrDwYtI #midsummernightsdream #supperclub #og #sourcherry
Can’t wait to delve into this by one of my favou Can’t wait to delve into this by one of my favourite food writers @kitchenbee it’s got everything: kitchenalia, divorce and food. Did you know that what we call heartache is actually stomach ache? It’s now recognised that rejection actually causes physical as well as psychological pain. A study shows that pain relief medications such as paracetamol can alleviate heartache. Some of our emotional pain is autonomic: it’s referred to as polyvagal theory. #heartbreak #foodwriting #lovehurts #takotsubo #dopaminewithdrawal
Midsummer supper club 21st June. The theme is frag Midsummer supper club 21st June. The theme is fragrance and scent. Tickets are £45  and you can bring your own drink. Starts 7.30pm and the nearest tube is Kilburn on the jubilee. Parking is free outside. Exact address given on booking. https://msmarmitelover.com/product/midsummer-supper-club-2025-scent-and-fragrance #london #supperclub
Oil portraits of me painted at Burning Van festiva Oil portraits of me painted at Burning Van festival by artists @cristina_vercesi (left) and YouTube sensation and Royal Portrait gallery exhibiter @alex_tzavaras. It was an utter privilege to sit for these wonderful artists- a real highlight. I’m taking them home and framing them. It was easy to sit still for 90 minutes with the amazing DJ set @leonidas_lovetoparty More deets later. #portraiture #festivals #oilpainting
Went with influencers to @standrewslakes in Kent w Went with influencers to @standrewslakes in Kent with @ourfinland @lakelandfinland @pcagency to experience Finnish food such as Karelian pies with egg butter, cinnamon buns, blueberry pies, and pea soup which they have with mustard and sour cream. We did zip lining, kayaking, saunas, whipped ourselves with birch sticks, ate in a gorgeous wooden bbq shed @arctic_cabins at the end of all this activity we were all tired but happy. @miramakeup @holidaywiththeheathers @amie_jane__ @onehungryasian @iamtimchung @travellingtuesdays @helimendetravels @charlotteemilyprice #presstrip
@camille.osullivan @camilleosullivanpics and @grah @camille.osullivan @camilleosullivanpics and @grahnort @wiltonsmusichall god this woman is talented. She did a solo show of The Rape of Lucrece. Her voice! #theatre #shakespeare #london
My latest article on Hungarian cuisine, a unique m My latest article on Hungarian cuisine, a unique meeting of east and west, for @ckbk It's a blend of Ottoman, Eastern and middle European, Austro-Hungarian empire and cowboy food. #food&travel #foodanthropology #hungary
Made Fermented Cucumber dill pickles from @nickvad Made Fermented Cucumber dill pickles from @nickvadasz book The Pickle Jar. At @katzsdeli in New York they sell half sours and full sours. I reckon these are 3/4 sour. The white mould is fine btw. These are delicious #pickleperson #fermentation #guthealthy
London in bloom: wisteria, cherry blossom, lilac, London in bloom: wisteria, cherry blossom, lilac, plum blossom, 🌸 you don’t need to go to Japan for the Sakura season- it’s all here- london at its most beautiful. #london
Bluebell walk on Wanstead flats. The scent is incr Bluebell walk on Wanstead flats. The scent is incredible: similar to lily of the valley. These are actual English bluebells - a deeper colour & more delicate than Spanish bluebells which are rather invasive. #london #walks #april #bluebells
Snapshots from portobello rd market. Portuguese fo Snapshots from portobello rd market. Portuguese folar de pascua bread from Lisboa patisserie,  a gorgeous mosaic table from Fez, my favourite antique shop @muirshindurkin, Alice’s shop, an Easter hat, the best wisteria I wrote a substack on portobello road: https://open.substack.com/pub/kerstinrodgers/p/where-to-go-in-portobello-road-the?r=3873k&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true #london
I visited @tokyobagellondon with my granddaughter I visited @tokyobagellondon with my granddaughter yesterday to try one of their viral wobbly bunnies. We also tried the multi layer Oreo pancake cakes, the onigiri shaped croissant. My sister had the black sesame latte and I had yuzu tea. I spent £35 in a short space of time as each dessert was £5 but it was a fun experience. Ophelia said ‘lovely flowers’ which shows a degree of sophistication for a 2 year old. I preferred the strawberry to the coconut flavour . #londondaysout #grandmacore #easter
A quick high protein lunch of ratatouille with smo A quick high protein lunch of ratatouille with smoked tofu.  @pomoragoodfood olive oil then an aubergine cut into thick slices then quartered. Fry till translucent then add the chunks of red pepper. 2 fat garlic cloves sliced thinly, a block of smoked tofu in chunks, 2 bay leaves, a small handful of maldon salt. A courgette cut into thick half lengthways- then sliced into half moons. I might chuck in a handful of pantelleria capers in vinegar to give some acidity. Serve hot or cold. #sololunch #protein #vegetables
Inspired by @nickvadasz book The pickle Jar I used Inspired by @nickvadasz book The pickle Jar I used his dill pickles to make one of my favourite recipes for lunch - a potato, sour cream & pickle soup. Recipe on the blog. #soup #pickles
One of my favourite ways to eat mushrooms. Cook wh One of my favourite ways to eat mushrooms. Cook whole button mushrooms in olive oil, lemon juice, a little white wine vinegar, salt, bay leaves, whole coriander seeds, thyme, and white wine if you have it to hand. I used @pomoragoodfood olive oil. You can eat it straight away or leave it to marinate longer and eat the next day. #vegetarian #vegan #mushroomrecipe
Follow on Instagram

Archives

Copyright © 2025 msmarmitelover