Spread loved by troops

Marmite is made from yeast ‘sludge’, a waste product left over from making beer

Although the Marmite Food Company was founded in Burton upon Trent, the firm bought its patents from a German chemist, Baron Justus von Liebig, in 1902

Von Liebig, who also invented Oxo, had found that brewer’s yeast could be bottled and eaten

The original recipe added salt, spices and celery. Only years later were vitamins and minerals added

Marmite is named after a French earthenware cooking pot – in which it was originally supplied

During WWI, it was included in British soldiers’ ration packs and in WWII it was supplied as a dietary supplement in PoW camps

Marmite has a sell-by date of 18 months from manufacture but the only aspect which deteriorates is the vitamin content

It does not need to be put in the fridge because the high salt content kills bacteria

Denmark banned Marmite in 2011 as it is contrary to its law against artificially-fortified foods. The ban was overturned in 2014

Inmates at Dartmoor jail were said to be using it to make booze. Prison officials dismissed the stories, but a study found there is enough yeast to make beer

The brand’s current owners Unilever spent £15,000 on a sculpture of a Marmite jar in 2010 to honour the product