Paul McCartney has written some of the most famous songs ever recorded, so there is something pleasing about the fact that one of the things he is happy to talk about in interviews is his sandwich. And not a simple one. McCartney’s go-to is a three-layer bagel he has tinkered with over years, and right at the bottom of it sits a scrape of Marmite. The most famous bassist in the world is, it turns out, a Marmite man.
Does Paul McCartney like Marmite?
He does, and he has built it into his daily eating. McCartney’s much-described “perfect sandwich” is a bagel sliced into three layers and filled with Marmite, hummus, cheese, tomato, pickle and lettuce, with a bit of honey mustard on top. The Marmite goes on the bottom layer first, with lettuce over it, because, as he has explained, the hummus would otherwise fall through the hole in the bagel. It is the recipe of a man who has thought about this a great deal, and Marmite gets the bottom slot.
Paul McCartney’s Marmite bagel
The order matters to him. Bottom layer: Marmite, then lettuce as a barrier. Middle layer of bagel, then hummus, cheese, tomato, pickle and more lettuce. Top layer: honey mustard. It is less a sandwich than a small piece of engineering, and it works because the Marmite does the salty, savoury job at the base while everything fresh sits on top. Marmite even shared the recipe on its own channels, happy to claim one of the most famous musicians alive as one of its own.
Who is Paul McCartney?
Sir James Paul McCartney was born on 18 June 1942 in Liverpool. With John Lennon he formed the songwriting partnership at the heart of the Beatles, and after they split he carried on with Wings and a long solo career. He is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, and he is still touring stadiums well into his eighties.
Paul McCartney the vegetarian
The bagel is meat-free for a reason. McCartney has been a vegetarian for decades, alongside his late wife Linda, and is an animal welfare campaigner who helped launch the Meat Free Monday movement. Marmite suits him for that: it is savoury, salty and entirely plant-based, which is the sort of thing a long-time vegetarian reaches for when the meaty depth is off the table.
Paul McCartney’s notable work at a glance
- The Beatles (1960-1970)
- Wings, including “Band on the Run” (1973)
- A long and continuing solo career
- A leading figure in vegetarianism and the Meat Free Monday campaign
- Knighted in 1997
