Nigella Lawson divides fans with Marmite spaghetti recipe

Nigella Lawson has divided Twitter users with her Marmite spaghetti recipe.

Posted on Monday as part of her regular “recipe of the day” segment on social media, the celebrity chef urged her followers to “use more butter, Marmite and cheese as wished”.

“#RecipeOfTheDay is Spaghetti with Marmite! Use more butter, Marmite and cheese as wished, of course. And, obviously, you can use Vegemite, too,” Lawson wrote. “I actually am in possession of a jar of the Truffle Marmite, which I can now tell you is rather fab here!”

The recipe uses just four ingredients: spaghetti, butter, Marmite and parmesan. The Marmite is dissolved into the butter to make a sauce.

It was originally published in Lawson’s 2010 book, Nigella Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home, but by posting the recipe on her social media page, Lawson has ignited debate around the recipe.

“You either love it or you hate it. Sorry but I hate it,” one person said, while another added: “Not enough money in the world for me to eat it.”

One user explained: “I used to do this at uni and became a social outcast because my housemates were so disgusted.”

However, several Twitter users praised the recipe, with beauty writer Sali Hughes commenting: “I made this so, so often when my kids were little. Brilliant dish.”

Another person said: “This is one of my favourite things! The perfect ‘emergency’ lunch or post-run dinner. I love it!”

A third person praised the spread for its versatility: “I love Marmite. I put it on Sunday roast gravy, along with Worcestershire sauce and red wine. My mother won’t eat my Sunday lunches!”

Lawson added a disclaimer under her original tweet, where she said: “Italians, before you shudder, I must tell you that Spaghetti with Marmite came to me via the meravigiosa food writer Anna del Conte!”

Earlier this year, Lawson revealed her favourite “simple sandwich” when fellow cook Jack Monroe put a callout on Twitter for people to share their go-to lunch dish.

Lawson, clearly a fan of the yeast spread, said hers was butter, Marmite, and lettuce.

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