The Marmite factory has been on the same Burton-on-Trent site since 1902. It was not, you will be relieved to hear, chosen at random.
Marmite Articles
Explore our collection of articles about Marmite, Britain's most divisive spread.
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Whether you love or hate Marmite is, partly, in your DNA
A few years back, the consumer-genetics company DNAFit ran a study they called the Marmite Gene Project. The aim was to see whether the famous love-it-or-hate-it divide had a genetic basis, beyond cultural exposure and childhood imprinting. The answer, surprisingly, was yes.
Marmite hooch, the prison-cell ferment that briefly became famous
The brewing of alcohol at home requires no licence in the UK for personal consumption. The brewing of alcohol in prison is, however, against prison rules, and this article is not a recommendation to do either, particularly the second. It is a piece of food history. Read on accordingly.
M&S have launched a proper Marmite-cheddar sandwich
M&S have launched a pre-made sandwich in their food-to-go range that pairs Marmite cream cheese with British farmhouse cheddar, on vitamin-D enriched soft white bread. Around four quid.
M&S have put Marmite in a salted-caramel blondie
For autumn 2023, M&S put a Marmite product into their bakery range. Specifically: Pecan and Salted Caramel Blondies with Marmite. A blondie base (vanilla brownie), studded with pecans, with a Marmite-laced salted-caramel sauce swirled through, baked into a fudgy slab. On the face of it: mad.
Marmite Truffle: the posh jar of 2022
Marmite went posh in May 2022 with a truffle edition, a 250g Sainsbury's exclusive at £4.50 launched by horse-drawn carriage. The aroma is the whole event. Whether truffle and Marmite need each other is another question.
Marmite Dynamite: the chilli jar that went off in 2021
In February 2021 Marmite added chilli and called it Dynamite, a six-month Sainsbury's exclusive with a lid that looked set to explode. The gimmick was loud. The spread, surprisingly, was actually good.
The summer the jars ran dry: Marmite's 2020 yeast shortage
In June 2020 Marmite vanished from shelves in everything but the 250g jar. Pure lockdown logic: the pubs shut, the breweries slowed, and Marmite is made from what is left over when beer is brewed. No pints, no spread.
The year Marmite swabbed your cheeks: the 2017 Gene Project
In 2017 Marmite asked the nation to spit in a tube. The Gene Project claimed your DNA decides whether you love or hate the jar, sold you a testing kit, and lifted sales 14 per cent. The marketing was brilliant, the science thin.
When Kraft Heinz tried to buy the whole pantry: the 55-hour Marmite scare of 2017
Nine years before McCormick, Marmite had a near-death experience. In February 2017 Kraft Heinz made a £115 billion grab for Unilever, the row lasted about 55 hours, and the government started sharpening pencils. Then it was over.
