A CHEF who doesn't like Marmite has created a new 'mellower' version – and hopes everyone will like this one.

Joe Parke's recipe was made using leftover yeast from a Wye Valley-founded company which brews mead– an alcoholic drink made from honey.

He thought the result would produce a yeast spread tasting like Marmite – which is a famously love-it or hate-it experience.

But Joe, 42, claims his has the consistency of dulce de leche – condensed milk caramel – and has notes of coffee and chocolate.

Joe, chef manager at Harts Barn Cookery School in Longhope in the Forest of Dean, teamed up with Matt Newell, who runs Wye Valley Meadery, which was launched in Chepstow, but is now based in Caldicot, to produce the recipe.

Chef Joe thought the taste and consistency would resemble Marmite – but he was immediately taken by the unexpected flavour.

"I was quite blown away – it is a very unique flavour. I really had Marmite in my head but this is much mellower,” he said.

"At Wye Valley they use all their products except the yeast and it made me think of Marmite.

"This sparked much interest as the meadery are zero waste, so I started playing with it at work. It went into the oven at 60 degrees – left it there for a week."

Then the product went through a slow Maillard reaction – responsible for the browning of food when heated, giving it a distinctive flavour.

It was then followed by a slow caramelisation process which is reduced down to a thick paste, and was then blended, creating a consistency similar to dulche de leche, peanut butter and condensed milk, said Joe.

"I expected it to be similar to Marmite. I get notes of coffee and chocolate – it is quite unique,” he added.

“There is definitely sweetness. You can tell it is made from honey but you still get the notes from the alcohol."

From 10 litres of yeast, Joe turned the leftovers into a two-litre batch of yeast spread.

When asked if he prefers it to Marmite he said: "I would. I don't like Marmite. Not by itself anyway. It's great as an ingredient in baking.''

Matt, who keeps bees to produce his honey which is fermented to make a 14.5% alcoholic mead, said: ''There was a good honey flavour to it. The yeast has been fermenting honey for about six months, so it has picked up a good honey aroma and taste.

"It's great to turn the yeast that has been until now a byproduct, into something innovative and interesting.

“We at Hive Mind Mead have teamed up with Harts Barn to find a new use for our mead brewing yeast and the result is like nothing we've ever tasted before.

“Rich and complex, full of flavour and totally natural, its a really exciting venture."

Joe said he had not yet considered what to do with his recipe but felt it had potential to be sold as a spread, adding that it is 'very possible' that they will end up selling it in the shop they have, and call it Beemite, Honeymite or Hivemite.