Marmite launches limited edition cricket ball jar

The new version, which will be on shelves from June 8, contains yeast extract from Marston's Pedigree, the official beer of England Cricket. Half a million jars will be produced.

Unilever has launched the Marston's Pedigree Marmite as a symbol of support for the England cricket team in the build up to the Ashes series.

This is not the first time Marmite has produced limited editions of its salty spread. Last year it produced Lover's Marmite, a champagne-flavoured version for Valentine's Day, and in 2007 it launched Guinness Marmite to celebrate St Patrick's Day.

Matt Burgess, marketing director for Marmite at Unilever UK, said: "The limited edition Marmite formats are a great way of getting consumers to trade up and increase frequency of purchase which in turn adds value to the brand.

"The exciting new packaging, which combines the design of a cricket ball with the iconic Marmite jar shape, is set to give the product real stand out on shelf.

"The marketing support behind Marston's Pedigree Marmite has been designed to link cricket with our British brand personality and we believe this will help the product become as successful as previous limited editions of Marmite yeast extract."

The 250g limited edition jars will cost £3.49, one pound more than a standard jar of the same size.