"Sorry Australia, but you can keep that one" – Gian van Veen flatly rejects local delicacy
PDCFriday, 21 August 2026 at 08:00
During his stay in Australia, Gian van Veen recorded a new episode of his popular Local Treat Tour. The Dutch darter is currently in Sydney for the Australian Darts Masters and decided to put a quintessential Aussie product through a thorough test during his time Down Under: Vegemite.
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For Van Veen, who faces Raymond Smith in the opening round of the Australian Darts Masters, it was time once again to take his followers inside a local eating habit of the country he is visiting. In previous episodes of the Local Treat Tour, the Dutchman tried several local specialties, but in Australia a product made the list that many Europeans are far from fond of. Van Veen headed to the supermarket to pick up a jar of Vegemite.
“You guys have been asking for it so today we are going to try Vegemite, let's go get it right now,” Van Veen announced at the start of his new video.
The Dutchman couldn’t resist sharing a typically Australian nugget during his outing. "Fun fact about Australia by the way, did you know there are more kangaroos in this country than human beings? I haven't seen one but I'll keep my eyes open."
Once in the supermarket, Van Veen went looking for the infamous spread. After a bit of hunting, he finally found what he needed. “Vegemite, here we go,” he said enthusiastically, although the amount he ended up taking seemed a touch excessive. “I think I've bought too much,” he joked.
Back in his hotel room, the actual test could begin. Van Veen prepared a slice of sourdough with butter and then put the Vegemite jar on the table. Because he was staying in a hotel, he had to make do without a proper knife. “We've got the Vegemite and of course we're in a hotel so we've got wooden spoons,” he quipped.
Advice from Simon Whitlock
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Van Veen also managed to get advice from a certain Simon Whitlock about the delicacy. "I've talked to some Whitlock about this, don't spread it too heavily because that's what Europeans mostly do wrong."
Van Veen decided to take the experienced Australian’s advice to heart and started cautiously. It wasn’t love at first bite. After his first mouthful, he pulled a doubtful face. “Oh, I don't know if I like it but I have to properly try it.”
The Dutchman then decided to add a bit more Vegemite to his bread. At first, that seemed an improvement. "Let's do a bit more, I think that's better,” he concluded before taking another bite.
In the end, though, Van Veen admitted he went a step too far. On his next attempt he spread a larger amount on his toast. The result was clear to see. “That's too much,” he reacted, before bursting into laughter. “I start sweating.”
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Tough assignment
The test quickly turned into a tough assignment for the Dutchman. After one final try, he had clearly had enough. “Wow. That was enough for me.”
Van Veen’s final verdict was hardly positive. Although he admitted that a small amount of Vegemite on toast is manageable, the Australian spread didn’t win him over. “To be honest, I didn’t really like it. If you put a little bit on toast, it’s okay. But if you use too much, like I ended up doing, then it’s not good.”
Van Veen ultimately settled on a score of 4.5 out of 10. Vegemite does not rank highly on his personal list of local delicacies. His message to his Australian hosts was clear. “Sorry Australia, but you can keep that one.”
Gian van Veen faces Raymond Smith in the first round of the Australian Darts Masters
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No roaring success
While the culinary experience wasn’t a roaring success, Van Veen will keep the Local Treat Tour going for now. His time in Australia is part of the PDC’s World Series swing, with the Dutchman competing at the Australian Darts Masters in Sydney.
The journey isn’t over for Van Veen either. After his Australian venture, one final World Series stop awaits. That brings him back to the Netherlands, where the World Series of Darts Finals will be played in Amsterdam in September. “The leaderboard is getting pretty serious now, but we’ve got one more stop to go for the World Series,” Van Veen looked ahead. “I’ll see you next month in my own country, in Amsterdam.”
The Local Treat Tour will therefore continue soon on familiar ground. After an Australian introduction to Vegemite, which earned just a 4.5 from Van Veen, the Dutchman will again search for a local specialty in Amsterdam. Whether it will go down better than the Australian classic, the next episode will reveal.
For now, one thing is clear: Vegemite hasn’t become Van Veen’s new favorite. The Dutchman came to Australia for darts, but returns with a firm culinary conclusion: with Vegemite, less is more.
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Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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