Vegemite takes tabloid bat to Marmite, lobs salty Ashes sledge

Vegemite has taken a tabloid bat to Marmite after jars of it were handed out at the first test.

Vegemite’s social media post. Picture: Instagram

Ashes sledging has got distinctly salty with Vegemite taking aim at Marmite following some severe provocation from its English counterpart. Free jars of Marmite were handed out at the first Test at Edgbaston in a not-so-subtle attempt by the English toast-topper to stoke rivalry between supporters of the twin yeasty spreads.

But the Aussies were undaunted and Vegemite has now taken out a full-page ad in a UK tabloid to throw a few jibes of its own celebrating the tourists’ crushing comeback win.

We wish @Marmite all the best but don’t expect Aussies to be bowled over by their antics at the cricket. So, we took action by running a full page ad in the @DailyMirror ... Catch ya at Lord’s! #TastesLikeAustralia #Vegemite #Ashes pic.twitter.com/jMRJkEi63b

— Vegemite (@Vegemite) August 8, 2019

The ad in the Daily Mirror claims it’s only natural that those Down Under prefer the taste of the Aussie icon to that of its British ancestor. “Vegemite is a far stronger taste, made of resilience and fortitude with a dash of cunning and guile,” the ad brags.

“Vegemite tastes like back-to-back tons on your return test. Vegemite tastes like a come-from-behind victory by 251 runs. You lot won’t like the taste of Vegemite because Vegemite tastes like Australia.” The dig came in response to the high-profile attempt by Marmite to get Aussies to try the British spread, which existed for 20 years before supply disruptions led Cyril Callister to create an Antipodean counterpart.

The free jars handed out in Birmingham were even labelled “Marmy Army”, a provocative reference to the self-labelled Barmy Army England fans that follow their team around the globe.

With both manufactured from yeast extract leftover from beer brewing, the difference between the two is as fine as a glance down the leg side, but those raised on one rarely come to prefer the charms of the other. “Of course the refined English palate will prefer yours,” said Vegemite, which in 2017 was back in Australian hands after being bought by Bega Cheese. With fans unlikely to switch sides, battle will resume on Thursday (UK time) with the start of the second Test.

“Catch ya at Lord’s,” the ad breezily concludes.

AAP