A North Shields man loves his favourite spread Marmite so much that he's changed his surname by deed poll.

Saire May - now Marmite - made the leap to show his 'devotion and passion' to the dark brown yeast paste.

"I'm not exactly sure how old I was when I first tried Marmite, but I just remember eating it as far back as I can remember," he said.

"I like the smell, the taste, the texture. I think I pretty much like everything about it."

Mr Marmite, 38, says he easily gets through a jar a week and also collects Marmite paraphernalia including limited edition jars, cufflinks and a recipe book dating back to the Second World War.

"My family think I'm mad. However my mum just shrugged her shoulders, she expects this kind of thing from me," he added.