In answer to something you don't get..

Last week I ran a competition to win a book about Britain and one of the questions I asked was: "What do you least understand about the British or Britain, and would like to know more about?"

Lots of you answered this, and so here are my thoughts on one of the things you raised.

Poltzie & Denise both just don't get Marmite or Vegemite, well I have to agree with them, it's DISGUSTING stuff. It doesn't even sound appetising, being a by-product of a beer brewery. It is a sticky, dark brown yeast extract paste with a distinctive, powerful flavour and smell, which is extremely salty and savoury. But it's iconic in Britain, and as the very famous ad campaign for it said "You either love it or hate it".

This campaign featured a taste station set-up outside a supermarket with shoppers being offered some Marmite spread on toast, the classic way to eat it. They would then show some shoppers happily chowing down saying "I love Marmite". But the advert ended with shots of others being literally chased across the car park by the person offering the marmite, the pursued screaming "I hate Marmite"! They were very funny and I was tickled to see I wasn't the only one. There really is just no inbetween with this product, it's just very clear cut for most people.

Another famous ad campaign used the slogan "My mate Marmite" chanted by an army platoon. This played on their initial slogan of "the growing up spread, you never grow out of".

The closest thing you have here of a similar nature with iconic status is the Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich, which I also hate with a passion! But Marmite on buttered toast is a staple many Brit mums will turn to, when faced with a late supper or snack crisis in the UK. Thankfully mine wasn't one of them!

So personally this is one Brit obsession I don't understand either, as are Twiglets, a baked snack that tastes similarly bitter. So have you ever tasted it and are you in the 'love it' or 'hate it' camp?