LOVED and hated in equal measure, Marmite always provokes a response. But now the controversial yeast spread is to feature in the legendary Westcountry dish – the pasty.

Warrens Bakery, based in the far West of the region, has come up with two new flavours that could revolutionise the meat and pastry staple.

The bakery is launching a Marmite and steak pasty and a Marmite and cheese pasty at the beginning of next month.

Jason Jobling, product development manager at Warrens, said: "Marmite is such a strong brand and people are either going to love it or hate it.

"Having said that, I'm not a Marmite fan but the cheese and Marmite pasty is amazing – I think it's one of our best products and I think it's going to do really well for us."

Mr Jobling said the launch on July 6 follows months of preparation and expert tastings to perfect the flavour of the speciality pasties.

He added: "We're always looking for new flavours and experimenting with new ingredients. The pasty craze is in full swing and we've looked at just about every other possibility."

Staff working in product development at Warrens started to experiment with Marmite recipes and realised they were on to something.

Mr Jobling said: "We sold the idea to Unilever, the owners of Marmite, and worked with their development chefs to get the right balance. A lot of work has gone into it but it's been worthwhile – it will be really interesting to see how people take to them."

The Marmite pasties will be on sale in Warrens stores across the South West from July 6.