Last Post - The Changing Face of Marmite...

I spoke to a friend recently, who lived in England for a few years. She told me that British Marmite is vastly different from the stuff made in New Zealand. Its more syrupy apparently, tastes even sweeter than the stuff here, and is available in squeezy bottles.

Dude. I know.

Having expressed my surprise, she also added that later, when trekking around Africa, and when the British Marmite was all that was available…well, some people will do anything for a fix.

Getting back to the squeezy bottle issue though – this apparently caused some serious outrage amongst Marmite people when it came out around 2002. People actually wrote into Marmite’s current producer in the UK, Unilever, and proclaimed their disgust.

I’m just guessing, but it’s because of the squeezy bottle, that the Brit’s Marmite is so very gooey, compared to the Kiwi kind, which is more like, ooh, I dunno, margarine? ‘Cept stickier.

When Marmite got over here, it was still the imported British stuff up until the Thirties, and we only started making our own about a decade later, sourced and produced in Christchurch. The experimentation that resulted in the unique flavour and consistency we know (and in many cases love) today was reached by messing round with the original British product and then introducing local ingredients.

Yay, home-grown!

We’ve also come a long way from the glass jars too, although I still remember when you could buy it in the one’s that doubled as glasses once all the Marmite was gone. We don’t have any left at home, sadly (I think they met a rather unfortunate end when my brother, then seven, got his mucky paws on them. Butterfingers.)

Whatever. I’m just hoping I never have to live off the not so fun syrupy stuff that passes for Marmite in the UK.

So, until given a reason to complain, this is Stranger, signing off.