Wife toasts celeb Marmite present

Charlotte Church and Victoria Beckham but which other celebrities feature in Marmart? Enlarge Image

One woman's £920 Christmas present will have an unusual flavour this year.

Caterer Wayne Withers, 38, snapped up the pictures of 10 well-known celebrities - some who people love to hate - drawn in Marmite on toast.

He bought the "Marmarts", including Victoria Beckham, Charlotte Church and James Blunt on web auction site eBay.

Mr Withers, who runs a sandwich and rolls business in New Tredegar, said he wanted to give wife Lisa "something for Christmas that nobody has got".

The father-of-four said: "Every year it's the same old pressies - perfume, knickers and bras, and chocolates for the kids.

"But this was for charity, so it killed two birds with one stone".

She is going to display them on the wall. I think she's pleased Wayne Withers

The 10 pieces of toast depict love/hate figures such as X-Factor judge Simon Cowell - a favourite of Mrs Withers - chef Gordon Ramsay, actor Jude Law, Tory leader David Cameron and one of his predecessors Baroness Thatcher, rock star Pete Doherty and Big Brother's Nikki Grahame.

They are all the work of artist Dermot Flynn in the famous yeast spread, which has a similar love/hate appeal.

The £920 raised from their sale will go to children's art organisation Room 13, a network of student-run art studios.

According to their description on eBay, the Marmarts should last forever if kept in a dry and protective atmosphere.

Lisa Withers is a fan of X-Factor judge Simon Cowell

They have already arrived in Merthyr. "They're like French toast, really crispy, they're never going to go off," he said.

But the Christmas surprise has been spoilt by the fact that his unusual charity purchase has been making headlines

Mr Withers said his wife was into arts and crafts and made all her own Christmas cards.

"She is going to display them on the wall. I think she's pleased, " he said.

But does she like Marmite?

"She used to like it because I think she was force fed it as a child. But now she's got the choice," he admitted.