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Marmite

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cilgwyn
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« Reply #30 on: April 21, 2019, 06:45:32 pm »

Gosh,yes? Five years! I must admit;looking at this thread,I was amazed that Dundonnell has never tasted Marmite! :o ;D But then again,Ive never tasted Nutella. And I'm not sure I want to?!! ::) ;D Incidentally,I rather admire someone for resisting a product. It shows fortitude!! In my case,I was,what has been called,a "Marmite baby"! My mother fed it to me,when I was little;and,presumably,I enjoyed it?! (I hardly think my late,mother would have force fed it,to me?!!)

I seem to remember there was some short lived,controversy,some years ago;when a school tried to ban Marmite,because of,what was perceived as,a high salt level! Now,I don't know whether there is any truth in that? When I was a child,I remember being told that,there was yeast in Marmite;which,apparently,meant it was good for you! Anyway,I believe the school quickly backed down,after a furious backlash from angry Marmite lovers;and one of their favourite foods was quickly reinstated!

Marmite also made national headlines,more recently;when there was a dispute between Tesco and Unilever;who had hiked up the price of some of their products. Marmite being one of them. I remember listening to a news bulletin,informing me that some worried consumers had been stockpiling jars in lieu of a Marmite crisis;which was referred to,rather unimaginatively (I thought) as Marmitegate! This between items on the Middle East and people dying!! Didn't it occur to any of these people,that there are other stores,besides Tesco?!!  I must admit,I did get a little worried,myself;as I love the stuff! It's also very economical;despite the initial outlay,because it has such a strong taste that a little goes a very long way! Which is good news for paupers,like me!  I remember staying with my father,recently,and finding to my horror that he'd stocked up with a supermarket brand,instead of the bone-fide product! I had to explain to him that Marmite is not like any old product. It's a 'concoction';and you can't just imitate it! Marmite has a very distinctive taste! I did try eating the Tesco brand,for a while. It was runnier and saltier;but I kept telling myself that it wasn't that bad,and I was probably saving myself some money,since it was cheaper!! Imagine my delight,when I discovered that,despite the fact that the Tesco jar looked the same size,it actually had less Marmite inside it!! Finally,I had a good reason to eat the more expensive,branded product!! :)
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Neil McGowan
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« Reply #31 on: April 22, 2019, 09:35:37 pm »

I admit to being a life-long Marmite fan.  However, now that it is owned by Unilever, it comes under the list of EU-produced items which are banned from import into Russia.  There could be some hope from Brexit - if Britain is no longer an EU nation, then Marmite - made, I believe, in the UK, but 'owned' by Unilever in the EU - ought to come off the list of goods which Russians may not purchase (or even arrange to have delivered).  Of course, other goodies (such as marmalade, and the huge range of UK-produced cheeses) would also come off the banned list.

Meantime, Vegemite - produced outside the EU, in Australia - remains avalable here in Moscow, and I am reduced to having to eat it - while the 'real thing' is not on sale. Being a lifelong vegetarian,, Marmite is not only a tasty toast topping, but also an essential part of my diet (Vitamin B12 - no naturally-occurring vegetarian food sources for it).  Of course, it was this viatmin component that lay behind the product's original introduction, I believe? 

Hopefully Sunday's  departure of the UK's darling Presiident Porkyshenko in Kiev will see the EU blockade of Crimea lifted quite shortly - and with it, Russia's 'mirror' ban on EU products.  :)  Welcome news for people living in Lugansk and Donetsk, too!! 
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cilgwyn
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« Reply #32 on: April 23, 2019, 05:58:48 pm »

That's tough! I hope you'll be able to buy it again,at some point in the near future?! As to me?! I think I just,thought,I liked Vegemite,for a while;because my (late) mother,had bought some. I bought it for a while,convincing myself that I liked it better than Marmite. Then Morrisons (the supermarket I was going to,at the time) stopped stocking it,and I had to eat Marmite again;having tried the Morrison brand,and not liked it. Eating Marmite again,made me realise how inferior Vegemite was!! I notice that the slogan on the Vegemite website is,"Tastes like Australia". Well,good for them,if they really do love it?! Yet,I was reading,somewhere,that Vegemite was actually,invented,as a substitute for Marmite,because German U boats prevented Australian's from getting supplies of their,much loved,spread,during World War One! On the other hand,the Vegemite site says that wartime rationing (of Vegemite) during World War Two,meant that Vegemite was in short supply there;and it was the,subsequent,craving,of Australian's,for the home 'grown' product,that led to it's dominance (after the war)! I can't see anything about U boats,there!!
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Neil McGowan
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« Reply #33 on: April 23, 2019, 07:29:13 pm »

Vegemite tastes very much more salty than Marmite, to me - not something I can cite in its favour.  On the other hand, one can simply spread it thinner?  Problem solved!  ;)
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cilgwyn
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« Reply #34 on: July 09, 2019, 11:13:33 am »

I don't want to make Neil McGowan's Marmite free life,even more difficult to bear,than it obviously is;but I couldn't resist helping myself to the new Marmite XO,from my local branch of Tesco! Marmite XO,is Extra Old;meaning it has been left to mature for twenty eight days! The classic version is only allowed to mature for a mere seven! Crafted by Unilever's Master Blender;Marmite XO was,originally,made available as a limited edition. Devised,following extensive sampling of various recipes,by the Marmartari,a secret society,of Marmite enthusiasts;Marmite XO has been brought back,after ten years,following a petition by fans of Marmite,on social media sites. Only available in Tesco stores,for the first six months,Unilever are planning to roll it out to other stores,and make the product permanently available to consumers and connosieurs of the product,if the re-launch proves successful!
Needless,to say! I haven't opened mine yet! I've got one classic,jar on the go. One unopened;and I don't really want to let the atmosphere into my sealed jar of XO,just yet! Well,not with all the damp here!!

It's a hard life!! :(
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Neil McGowan
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« Reply #35 on: July 10, 2019, 10:59:01 pm »

Sadly I shall have to wait until my next trip to the UK - which might not be for a year or two, as I have other places to go - before trying Marmite XO.  I look forward to hearing your Tasting Tips, once you venture to crack the jar open?  :)

Meantime, a friend brought me some Marmite 'classic' (the yellow label) from a gig they performed in London recently - so for now, at least, I have Marmite instead of Vegemite  :)
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