To kick off this review of Marmite crisps I would like to state that I am a 'lover' not a 'hater'. The advertisements for Marmite are famously known for their 'Love' or 'Hate' it themes, which makes Marmite rather unique just by the fact that it is a risky campaign to take on when you promote your product as being hated by half of its consumers. This has famously become known as 'The Marmite Effect' or reaction.

I saw a pack in 'Thomas Greens', which sells English based products over in Holland. So seeing as I love Marmite so much and the fact that I love Marmite mini cheddars, I thought I would go for it. I had visions and taste bud teasings of the moment I would lick of the marmitey substance from the first crisp. Sadly this moment went down like a Bruce Forsythe joke in a condemned lift. In my opinion they got the flavour all wrong on this one. It doesn't really taste of Marmite. It is more akin to beef and onion crisps or at the most, barbecue flavour. I was quite saddened by this as I was waiting for a taste explosion and a packet of really savoury, different crisps.

Marmite is a savoury spread that is made from yeast extract. The taste is so unique and distinctive that it is hard to put it into a category or, indeed, compare it to anything else. It has a sharp, tangy taste that has a real kick, especially if you spread it on quite thick. The taste is sort of like Bovril with added salt and it has a malty taste to it. It contains B vitamins B1, B2 and B12 and also folic acid. It is vegetarian and contains no animal fats whatsoever. Marmite is also really light and contains no salt, apart from sodium chloride in trace and only a trace of sugar, which does not convey to the taste as it is not sweet at all.

Each 125g jar contains about three and a half grams of fibre; so with the vitamins as well it is quite a healthy snack or treat to have. It's a shame that none of it is apparently contained in the bag of crisps.

Sadly the crisps do not contain any of this or even any of the taste that they purport to contain. Marmite, as you probably know, has a very distinctive taste and the lack of it in these crisps almost leaves you feeling fobbed off. I felt like trudging down to Marmite's main offices and demanding my money back but I would have probably been greeted by a sign reading 'Sorry gone into hibernation at the fear of reprisal over our poor attempt to make Marmite flavoured crisps off the back of a top brand like Walkers'. That is another thing that really surprised me; the fact that Walkers put their name to this. Surely someone in the know at Walkers would have known what Marmite tasted like and known that they had got it wrong? Or is it the very fact that the Marmite producers were so secretive over their formula that Walkers had to go it alone? Whatever the reason it was a disaster in my opinion.

I like to spread marmite on my toast and I must admit I do like to spread on more than the recommended four gram serving. It's great in the morning with a cup of tea. I also love it on cheese sandwiches, which I don't eat that often due to the fat content of the cheese. It is also really nice on wholemeal crackers to make a lovely healthy snack. One of my favourite lunch time snacks is beans on toast and adding marmite to the toast first or adding a spoon to my baked beans makes for a real treat. So, as you can imagine, I was well up for these crisps.

It is quite unusual that I like the salty taste so much as I don't eat salt. The only thing that I can be positive about with these crisps is the fact that a bag (125g) contains very little saturates or fat and is suitable for vegetarians. So in a way it is a good option if you want a bag of crisps without worrying about your weight,
Marmite is really popular in New Zealand and has been for almost one hundred years. You may have also heard of the Australian version 'Vegemite', which is also very popular. The French obviously have their own version and The Swedish have 'Cenovis', the Germans 'Vitam-R'. So Marmite is not as traditionally English as many of you might have thought.

I can only hope that these other countries can make their version if the crisps a little more like Marmite or don't make them at all.

In summing up I would like to say that I will never buy a bag of these imposters again. They should rename them 'Walkers Crisps that don't taste like Marmite'.

Right, I am off to buy a bag of low fat ready salted crisps and a jar of Marmite. I will then sit and spread Marmite on to each one and send it to Walkers with a note reading 'Here, try my lovely Marmite crisps!'.


© Lee Billingham