More on Marmite

I heard on the radio this morning that the Marmite ad featuring Paddington Bear has upset a lot of people, especially readers of The Times. Well, I think it is charming and as gently amusing as the books I used to read to my children. Ours is a family of Marmite and Paddington lovers so the combination is fine by us.

Here's another unlikely Marmite connection. I used the leftover pastry scraps from the apple crumble pie to make Marmite nibbles. I hate to throw food away so I have a multitude of ways of using scraps (and with my pastry-making, there are always scraps, sometimes there is no pie, just scraps!).

Marmite nibbles: Take pastry trimmings, roll out and spread SPARINGLY with Marmite. Sprinkle with grated cheese (I like very strong cheddar or a Gruyere, anything robust enough to hold its own with the Marmite). Use the rolling pin to press the cheese into the pastry. Roll the pastry into a sausage shape, wrap in clingfilm and leave in the fridge for half an hour. It should then be firm enough to cut into half inch slices. Spread on a baking sheet, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with a little more cheese. I put the grid shelf on the floor of the Aga roasting oven and bake the nibbles for about 20 minutes. Those of you who have 4 oven Agas, or other types of oven will have to experiment!

The nibbles are delicious warm or cold and are good for lunch boxes and picnics but at their best served warm with a mug of soup.