LOVE it or hate it, Marmite still reigns as one of our favourite foods, despite being created 100-years-ago around the time Edward VII was crowned.

It seems that despite the array of delectable delights, from dried Japanese seaweed to kaffir lime leaves, which have taken their place on supermarket shelves over the years, it is the simple old-timers which continue to tickle our taste buds.

And it's not only Marmite, which graced the dining tables of days gone by, that holds a treasured place in our kitchen cupboards.

When Heinz announced three years ago that it planned to scrap its salad cream because it couldn't compete with newer relishes, a host of shoppers, celebrities and even MPs rallied to save the product.

Like Colman's English Mustard, HP Sauce and Tate and Lyle's Golden Syrup, Heinz's Salad Cream is seen as an essential part of British tradition and like Marmite - promoted for its health benefits - has remained virtually unchanged since its launch.

Marmite, suitable for vegetarians, was given to soldiers in prisoner of war camps during the Second World War and 60 years later, sent to troops serving in Kosovo.

Today, hordes of Britons living abroad order it, and other traditional goods, on food internet sites, and, as food writer Roz Denny points out, the foods which have thrived for up to two centuries in Britain are those which stay true to the original.

"The products which have enduring appeal are good basic brands which are not messed around with in any way," she said.

"They use simple extracts and haven't brought out new, improved recipes or played around with the products too much. That's why they've got such a loyal following."

Many of the foods we enjoy have secret recipes, like our very own Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce (1835), and HP Sauce (1899).

And Heinz Tomato Ketchup is still an essential part of the British dinner, despite being invented more than a century ago (1869).

Other old brands include Paxo stuffing, created just over 100-years-ago by butcher John Crampton, Golden Syrup (1885) and the anchovy paste Patum Peperium, the Gentleman's Relish (1828).

Food historian Dr Valerie Mars says many of the popular ready-made sauces and condiments were produced in the 19th Century, partly because women started working and didn't have the time to create their own.

Even then, they were shipped abroad for the expatriate community who wanted to continue eating from the menu they grew up with.

"These products could be bought from England and places abroad, which was something new," she said.

"People started to develop a taste for, and even preferred, manufactured foods like Heinz Baked Beans."

Many products have become part of an eating culture. Heinz Tomato Ketchup, for example, is seen as being just as essential to a cooked breakfast as a fried egg.

Mars said many condiments had become part of the food, like HP Sauce, which is inextricably linked with bacon.

"HP Sauce is seen as part of a culture, although some people wouldn't be seen dead with it. It's seen as one of the components which make up a meal," she said.

Foods which have survived the course of time strike a careful balance between moving with the times and staying true to the original.

"They provoke nostalgic feelings," said Mars.

"For a lot of people, foods such as Marmite on soldiers, remind them of their childhood."

"But they do have to adapt. For example, Colman's realised not everybody was going to mix a powdered product to make an English Mustard.

"Bisto started off as a powder but adapted into granules, which are even easier to use.

But there are those who take changes to products very personally.

"Some get angry when a powder is changed to granules because it is destroying part of a tradition," she said.

Many traditional foods are fted but some, like Spam, created in 1937 in the US, end up ridiculed over time.

Such was the fate of the canned spice ham, which took a down turn in popularity after being all the rage in the days Elvis Presley was spotted touring the processing plant.

Luckily, after finding itself the butt of Monty Python jokes, it is now having something of a comeback.

"Spam is now a retro food, which is having a kind of revival in a funny sort of way," said Denny.

"It's coming back and is seen as slightly wacky."

Proving that, love 'em or hate 'em, these age-old favourites will always cause a stir.