Sue's notes to self

I strongly suspect that the title gives away what prompted my musings today, not to mention the picture – my mate Marmite (other spreads are available). As the world knows, you either love it or hate it. Except that the world does not all know. I do remember a trip to the states where I felt obliged to tell the customs officer that I did have a jar of marmite with me. The response was “That’s okay, we know about you Brits and your marmite.” After all that, with me knowing I could not last two weeks without it, they had some in the local store on the ‘British produce’ shelf – along with proper chocolate. Conversely, at a more recent stay at our favourite hotel in Jersey, I had to try to explain to a bemused waiter what it was. He wasn’t local and had never heard of it. He did find some and after that it was put out, as it had been before. I then persuaded him to try some, which I am not entirely certain he appreciated. Well, it can be an acquired taste.

‘What actually prompted this rambling?’ you ask. It could be that I rediscovered the opened but barely touched jar of Truffle Marmite in the cupboard, after my husband had done his classic rearranging because I keep buying things we don’t really need. I do like to have a couple in hand of some things, ‘just in case’, marmite being one of them. How awful if we couldn’t get any!!

Back to the Truffle Marmite. I did buy it because I wanted to try it, but also because I wanted to use it for a sermon illustration (yes, you heard that right). I also promised to bring some along to our next bring and share lunch for others to taste. Not many tried it, it has to be said, and to be honest I was not taken with it. It was far too ‘truffly’. Why would you want to spoil something that is just right by adding stuff which is not? It was the same with peanut butter – yuck! For a true ‘marmite baby’ that’s just not on.

I was brought up eating marmite, and gave it to my own boys when they were little. I believe they still eat it, though one does now also eat peanut butter, so I failed there. As the inventor (well, maybe) of the fish finger sandwich with marmite (the probable forerunner of the posh spicy fish goujons in a brioche bun), I really must object to any use of marmite that does not meet the proper criteria – taste!

But in the end, as with many things, it comes down to our own particular taste doesn’t it? Not everyone can love Marmite (even if I think they should). We all have our own ideas of what we like and what we don’t like. It’s inevitable. We may even try lots of ideas before we settle on what works best for us. However, sometimes in our attempts to find perfection we lose out on the basics, that which we should be truly grateful for.

So I should be grateful that I have bread in the bread-bin that I can toast, butter in the fridge and more than one jar of Marmite in the cupboard. I can enjoy all to my heart’s content, and do, almost daily. There are many people round the world who have never tasted such delights, and would be grateful for even a little of what I have. So I won’t throw that jar of Truffle Marmite away (other spreads are available), but keep it for special guests and occasions. I will be thankful for it, and continue to spread the word that it tastes real good. You can decide for yourselves.

12th July 2023