RECENT ADDITION: M&S Dessert Menu Tiramisu

Simply put, I adore tiramisu. The mature combination of cream, sponge, coffee and alcohol of some kind is one to be savoured. To that end, I didn't need much convincing on this offering from Marks & Spencer with its promise of a rather delicious sounding amaretto-flavoured cream layer. 

The packaging was pretty attractive with the sleek black and gold presentation box communicating a classy, sophisticated feel. The little window was also a nice touch with the dessert temptingly on view.   

As for the look of the dessert itself, the plastic container come shot glass was fun and showed off the nicely defined layers well. Of course, the presentation was a bit less impressive than the product shot with the whiteness of the cream slightly 'muddied' in areas and the chocolate shards not quite as voluminous. That said, they've tried to have some fun with it and I've certainly seen a lot worse.

Tucking in, the cream shone immediately thanks to the punchy amaretto. With coffee-soaked sponge soon weighing in and bits of chocolate punctuating the experience, the flavours and textures were wonderfully varied and complementary. Admittedly, it would have been nice to have had two coffee-soaked sponge layers so you didn't have to dig down so far to get a spoonful of both components but, all things considered, these were delicious. 

Costing £3 for the two desserts (or £10 as part of a very economical 'dinner for two' deal), these tiramisus were presented in a fun way and delivered bags of flavour - the amaretto cream was beautiful. These get a definite GBD thumbs up.

BRAND LINKS

Marks & Spencer Website - Food and Wine Page

Marks & Spencer Twitter

OUT AND ABOUT: Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour

Like so many, Christmas officially begun for me the other day whilst watching TV. Indeed, for the first time this year, I saw Coca-Cola's iconic truck advert roll on to screen. Admittedly, with all the editing, today's advert feels tragically short; however, I still can't help myself being carried away on a festive wave of nostalgia.  

Here's one of the advert's longer versions:

Of course, the appeal of this advert is something shared by many the world over and, mindful of this, Coca-Cola have transformed their truck in to a true marketing sensation. One such example of this is the 'Truck Tour' in which the vehicle stops by select UK destinations for people to come and see it. 

Luckily, one destination is my local town and with the truck stopping by yesterday I popped down as it started to get dark for the full effect. Accompanying the truck were Coca-Cola representatives handing out drinks, a free photo stand for youngsters and singers belting out Christmas tunes, including 'Holidays are coming'. With the town also lit up for Christmas and a few other things going on it was great fun and I'm sure a particularly memorable moment for all the children out with their families.

Anyway, here are some of the photos I took:

BRAND LINKS
Coca-Cola UK Website
Coca-Cola UK Twitter

LIMITED EDITION PRODUCT: Walkers Sensations Thicker Cut Crisps Cheese with Sweet Cranberry

Launching back in 2002, Sensations hit the shelves as Walkers 'posh' crisps. Since then, the likes of the Caramelised Onions and Balsamic Vinegar offering have become a popular feature in the GBD household with a bag or two invariably tucked in to over the festive period. Therefore, when I spotted this limited edition cheese and cranberry combination the other day I was more than intrigued to see how it measured up. 

I was immediately impressed by the packaging's design. I loved the festive-looking curls of green and red circles accenting both the top and bottom of the packet - presumably signifying a cranberry bush. The central graphic burst with colour and, together with the gold-coloured Christmas tree motif, made for a particularly elegant and visually-arresting design. The packaging's reverse also sported a nice design down the left-hand side with graphics picked up from the front and well thought out text complementing the ensemble beautifully. Top marks on this.

As for the crisps themselves, well, unfortunately, this is where the product fell flat on its face for me. In my head, the flavour combination sounded great and, based on past experiences, I expected some good quality flavours; however, to be frank, these tasted like a cheap packet of cheese crisps. Indeed, the cranberry was a bit lost on me and the cheese flavour was rather too reminiscent of Quavers - something you don't want when paying for a more expensive packet of crisps. 

All in all, the packaging's design was top notch but, with a cheap tasting cheese powder flavour, the crisps failed completely to deliver the quality expected of a brand like this. A disappointment.

CHRISTMAS PACKAGING: Colman's Sauce

In another very quick look at some festive packaging doing the rounds, I spotted these lovely traditional designs from iconic brand Colman's. Featuring snow-covered scenery, the mint and seafood sauce artwork directly picks up on the key ingredient whilst the horseradish is a little more subtle. Personally, I'm particularly fond of the mint sauce with its robin but these are all really nice and a welcome sight.

Here's a closer look at these limited edition designs:

BRAND LINKS

Colman's Website

NEW PRODUCT: Warburtons Giant Crumpets

In a way, this entire post is a testament to the power of advertising. Indeed, thanks to the advert come Muppets extravaganza currently doing the rounds (see here), Warburtons have rocketed the humble crumpet back in to the forefront of my mind. More than that, they've actually made me excited about what is, essentially, just a beefed up version of an existing product. Indeed, with social media lighting up with praise under the hashtag '#GiantCrumpets', Kermit and friends have given this offering a far greater significance than its jumbo dimensions could've ever hoped for. With that in mind, let's take a look.  

First off, the packaging blends in with the Warburtons general look with the vibrant orange and yellow colour scheme setting off the white brand name prominently. I was a little surprised that Muppets imagery didn't show up anywhere as it would've helped capitalise further on what I'm sure will prove a very lucrative partnership. That said, with the success of the advert, who knows what Warburtons will look to do.

With respect to the crumpet itself, it fitted nicely within the toaster allowing for easy cooking. Taking inspiration from the lead recipe on the Warburtons website (see here), I decided to whip up a savory dish with eggs and bacon - I didn't have any ham. The crumpet was, well, as lovely as crumpets usually are. The exterior was nice and crisp whilst the interior provided a pleasant chewy come fluffy contrast. Moreover, thanks to its wonderfully hole-ridden structure, the butter was well absorbed providing a luscious, rich experience throughout. 

All in all, a delicious alternative to a slice of toast or an English muffin that does what it says on the tin, namely, provide more of what we already love. 

BRAND LINKS

Warburtons Website

Warburtons Twitter

Warburtons Facebook

NOSTALGIA HIT: 90's Tetley Tea Folk

For all those having a tough start to the week, take a moment to sit back and enjoy a well deserved cuppa with the Gaffer...

BRAND LINKS
Tetley Tea Website
Tetley Tea Twitter
Tetley Tea Facebook

LIMITED EDITION PACKAGING: Nestle Aero by Matthew Williamson

Admittedly, my knowledge of fashion is such that the packaging's reference to a 'Matthew Williamson' was entirely meaningless to me - then again I'm not the supposed 35-54 year old female target market. Googling, I found out that the man was a notable British fashion designer and the wrapper design was an update on his signature 'butterfly' print. Personally, I loved these snazzy redesigns. They remained loyal to the general Aero look whilst delivering boat loads of interest to reinvigorate shelf standout. Indeed, I can see these playing to an even broader age range than that suggested. 

A definite thumbs up to Nestle on this one. Here are the designs in full:

BRAND LINKS

Nestle UK Website

Aero UK Website

Aero UK Facebook

NEWS: The Muppets deliver advertising gold for Warburtons

Christmas is often a good time for advertising as even if there isn't a good new ad there's always timeless classics like the Coca-Cola truck advert to look forward to. Of course, in recent years John Lewis has delivered the goods most consistently with its hallmark sentimentality. However, with this year's 'Man on the Moon' creative missing the mark for many, there's been opportunity for someone else to step in. Well, the bakery company Warburtons, not exactly the first brand I think of for advertising, have not only stolen the limelight but well and truly blown everyone else out the water. 

In a rather unexpected but bizarrely glorious tie-up, Kermit and friends sell Giant Crumpets like no crumpets have ever been sold before. Indeed, launching in to song with 'The Giant Crumpet Show' the advert beams with the charm and joy that people want, perhaps, more than ever with everything that has gone on recently. To be honest, this feels like an instant classic to me and one of the best pieces of advertising for years. Massive congratulations to Warburtons - this is a genuine pleasure to watch.

Anyway, enough of me talking. Sit back and enjoy the show...

BRAND LINKS
Warburtons Website
Warburtons Twitter
Warburtons Facebook

OUT AND ABOUT: Greggs Festive Bake

I was out and about in my local town centre yesterday and just before I hopped in the car to scoot back home I thought I would pop in to Greggs to see what festive offerings they were serving up. Their tasty sounding Christmas wrap was sold out but looking at the counter I was delighted to see their Festive Bake had returned. With Greggs Steak Bake being a guilty pleasure of mine, I remember trying this festive alternative and being really quite taken by it. To that end, I was more than eager to see if this year's version lived up to the memory. 

First off, I should say that the staff member serving me was full of smiles and really made for a warm and welcome experience so top marks go to Greggs Penrith on service. Moreover, in what I thought made for a nice touch, my meal deal cup of tea came in jolly festive cup with a lovely warm red colour scheme. 

As for the bake, its festive paper bag sported a similarly red colour scheme complemented by an amusing Santa beard and hashtag.  Removing the packaging, and barring the dent I made in the top, I thought the product looked great. Indeed, the pastry was beautifully golden with a nice crispy look to it - I actually thought it looked better than the product shot.  

Moving on to the taste, the smell of the sage stuffing was more than apparent and certainly whetted my appetite. Biting in, this smell translated to the palette with the sage bounding through on a glorious wave of creamy sauce punctuated by occasional chunks of meaty chicken breast and sweet bursts of cranberry. Yes, perhaps in an ideal world, I would have liked more chicken and, admittedly, the strips of bacon were a bit lost on me. That said, for the price and the relatively small parcel they're trying to cram all these ingredients in to, Greggs gets top marks from me again on this one. That sage stuffing is a triumph.

Warm, tasty fare that is sure to get you in the festive spirit. Pity it's around for a limited time only.

BRAND LINKS

Greggs Website

Greggs Twitter

Greggs Facebook

BLOG & WEBSITE NEWS

Not being a website designer or social media expert by any stretch of the imagination, GBD has been a fun but steep learning curve for me where I feel I have got some things right and a lot of things not so right. With the extra time to invest in all of this now I am really keen to organise things and get out a lot more content. In particular, I want to re-explore the Blogger spin-off given the platform's social tools and ability to greatly expedite things for me.

To that end, from here on in, I'll be posting shorter, much more frequent posts on the GBD blog centred on new products, redesigns, news and general of-the-moment stuff. In the style of the 'brand evolution' articles I have already published, the GBD website will complement things now and then by focusing on classic British brands and foods.

Hope that all makes sense.

CHRISTMAS PACKAGING: Kellogg's Corn Flakes

With Christmas adverts doing the rounds and lots on tempting goodies on shelves, we're fast approaching merry December. Not wanting to miss out on the action, Kellogg's have rolled out some limited edition Christmas packaging for four of its classic offerings. The children's cereals, Frosties, Coco Pops and Rice Krispies, are all bright and fun with their respective mascots donning Santa hats in front of Christmas tree-decorated backgrounds. 

That said, most interesting of all is the more traditional packaging for Corn Flakes given that it completely breaks with the cereal's usual look. A lovely, traditional-looking depiction of Santa by Norman Rockwell features front and centre against a snowy white background. In a couple of other touches, one of the side panels includes the full words to 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' and the bottom panel sports a nicely condensed version of the primary graphic. Indeed, the packaging is eye catching, hits the right tone for this most iconic of cereals and links in well with the brand's classic Santa Claus advert - soon to appear on screens I'm sure. Anyway, having picked up a box, here's all the pictures of the design:

BRAND LINKS
Kellogg's UK Website
Kellogg's UK Twitter

NEWS: Angel Delight, Galaxy, Marmite and Roses

Angel Delight: A recent study has found Angel Delight to be the nation's most beloved childhood dish with consumers commenting that it evoked strong memories of birthdays and summertime. Personally, on just the desserts and puddings front, I would have gone with something like a traditional homemade crumble or steamed pudding having grown up with my family's wonderful Sunday Dinners. Then again, everyone to their own.

To read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/angel-delight-voted-nations-favourite-5937642

Galaxy: Mars has added two new permanent additions to its Galaxy range under the name, 'Duet Bars'. The bars will feature two flavours - 'Cookies and Cream' and 'Caramel and Shortcake' - which will separately flavour the chocolate allowing consumer to choose whether they eat just one flavour at a time or both simultaneously. Retailing at 60p each, expect to see these bars in stores come August.

For a look at the product and to read more: http://www.fdin.org.uk/2015/06/mars-launches-new-galaxy-duet-bars/

Marmite: It's summer so Marmite have decided to release a limited edition spread made with lager yeast. Apparently, this special yeast will make the spread a light, summery one. The product will come in two jars, ‘Summer of Love’ and ‘Summer of Hate’, which will sport illustrations inspired by the 60's. Moreover, only 94 'Summer of Hate' jars will be released nationally making them a fun collectors item. The jars are expected to retail at £3.49.

For a look at the product and to read more: http://www.fdin.org.uk/2015/06/marmite-unveils-limited-edition-summer-spread/

Roses: Cadbury has redesigned its iconic Roses carton, first released in 1938. A concave top has been applied to the carton's body to carve out a more distinctive look on store shelves. The new packaging will also be brought in for Cadbury Heroes and Terry’s Chocolate Orange Segsations.

For a look at the product and to read more: http://www.packagingnews.co.uk/design/new-packs/cadbury-roses-iconic-dorothy-carton-updated/

NOSTALGIA HIT: 70's/80's John Smith's Yorkshire Bitter

These 70's and 80's John Smith's ads set in Yorkshire parody famous British comedy, Last of the Summer Wine, to give us a good laugh. The first one with the dog is a particular highlight for me whilst the last one is poignant in a way only a beer advert could be.

NOSTALGIA HIT: 80's Country Life Buttermen

An ad now from the early 80's featuring the Buttermen, Country Life Butter's jolly group of butter-based mascots. Starring in a string of ads throughout the decade, the Buttermen were full of charm and had a great tune that very effectively got the brand's slogan, "You'll never put a better bit of butter on your knife", dancing around people's head. 

FATHER'S DAY NOSTALGIA HIT: 90's PG Tips

With it being Father's Day I thought some Tipps Family action was in order...

NOSTALGIA HIT: 80's Jacob's Trio

Here's a quick 80's blast of nostalgia featuring the sadly discontinued Trio bar from brand icon Jacob's. 

NEWS: Weetabix and Cadbury launch new products

Weetabix Protein Crunch 

Weetabix is launching two new cereals under the 'Protein Crunch' brand name to target consumers wanting more protein in their foods. This move comes after the cereal manufacturer kicked off a new advertising campaign, entitled 'Weetabix. Incredible Inside'. The campaign focuses on the feats the human body manages to perform on a daily basis and how Weetabix's portfolio is, apparently, nutritionally designed to support such performance.  Personally, I think this is an interesting move as the market for protein offerings is certainly out there to be capitalised on by cereal manufacturers. However, credibility will be an issue and, thus, communications will be crucial in convincing health-conscious consumers of the health benefits. 

For more information see here

Cadbury Strawberries & Creme 

It's that time of year again when strawberries and cream will soon be reappearing at Wimbledon for the tennis. Therefore, Cadbury have decided, once again, to bring out their Strawberries & Creme flavoured Dairy Milk tablet. This bar was initially launched in Summer 2013 and consists of the manufacturer's signature milk chocolate with a strawberry filling thrown in. Indeed, if you like your Dairy Milk you may well want to give this limited edition offering a look before it goes.  

For more information see here

MANUFACTURER'S PAGE: PG Tips

Updated my website with a manufacturer's page for PG Tips - lots of interesting history to get your teeth stuck in to :) 

Please see: http://www.thegreatbritishdiet.co.uk/Articles/Manufacturers/PGTips.html

NOSTALGIA HIT: 60's Wall's Ice Cream

From a time when TV here in the UK was still in its infancy, these black and white ads for Wall's ice cream are an interesting watch. The first one seamlessly flows from Gerry Anderson's (creator of Thunderbirds) 'Supercar' programme in what was a pretty well thought out bit of advertising. Whilst, the second one relates the key product feature, its 'rich dairy country taste', with supporting footage of a family enjoying themselves in the country - you have to love the music:) 

NOSTALGIA HIT: 90's 'Have you had your Weetabix'

A great Weetabix ad now with none other than Bugs Bunny touting the cereal's benefits in a fun little sequence with Elmer Fudd. Enjoy.

NOSTALGIA HIT: 70's Typhoo Tea 'Gnu'

Here's some 70's nostalgia for Typhoo Tea featuring a civilised, tea-sipping mascot. The animations have a charm about them but what I love most about these ads is the choice of mascot, a gnu - or wildebeest after looking it up. It's as if some ad guy sat down and thought to themselves 'um, what can I rhyme with Typhoo...lets get the dictionary out'. Indeed, today, such a 'creative' piece of thought would be considered sufficiently random to be called 'outside the box thinking' and, consequently, worthy of a large agency fee.

NOSTALGIA HIT: Last Rolo

Here's a couple of ads for Rolo based around the brand's famous line, 'Do you love anyone enough to give them your last Rolo?'. The first one is a very charming animation whilst the second is a very funny ad featuring none other than Skippy the Bush Kangaroo. Enjoy.

NOSTALGIA HIT: Hovis

Here's a quick couple of nostalgia hits for Hovis that takes us from the famous ad depicting a baker's assistant pushing his bike up a hill to a much more recent piece encapsulating the brand's entire 122 year history in a breathtaking 122 seconds. Enjoy.

BRAND EVOLUTION: McVitie's Digestives

Well over a century old now, the McVitie's Digestive is a true brand icon with a great story behind it. To that end, I've done a bit of research for my website and put together both a McVitie's manufacturing page and a Digestives resource that shows the brand's evolution. 

As said before, this work is part of an ongoing project that will see me revise a number of my articles on the website to create more comprehensive resources that are regularly updated to contain all relevant brand-related information. Therefore, expect more soon!

Here's the links:

McVitie's Manufacturer Page

McVitie's Digestives

NOSTALGIA HIT: Weetos

I love going through the decades and seeing how the advertising changes, therefore, I thought I would begin this morning with 3 decades in 3 ads for the Weetabix-owned breakfast cereal Weetos. From the fun animations of Derek and Professor Weeto in the 80's and 90's respectively to the 00's buffed-up wholegrain cereal mascot keeping physically active in the kitchen, you can certainly see the changes.

PRODUCT RETURN: McVitie's Orange Milk Chocolate Digestives

They went away and, as the pack indicates, they're back. To be honest, I didn't really see them the first time around so this point was kind of lost on me; however, the combination of chocolate and orange is one I've always loved so I couldn't resist giving them a go.

THOUGHTS

Packaging:

With all the many variants in the Digestives range integrated on the design front, this packaging shares the signature Digestives graphics with an image of orange segments to customise things just a little. Moreover, the packaging is bright and cheery with a plain orange design that naturally picks up on and communicates the key ingredient. That said, whilst the range's palette swap approach does produce designs that are logical and coherent, individual products do lose a punchy sense of character and, consequently, are relatively easy to gloss over.

Looking around the other side of the packaging and basic information is provided in a clear and concise manner. Indeed, I felt the light orange text boxes and blue text worked in well with the colours introduced in the principal design.

Biscuits:

Weighing in at around 15g with a diameter of 65mm the Digestive is of respectable weight and size. Indeed, in dunking terms, this biscuit proved that chocolate, orange and wholewheat biscuit is obviously strong stuff as it took over 30 seconds submerged in a fresh cuppa for this offering to structurally fail. Appearance-wise, this variant looked like a bog-standard milk chocolate digestive, which isn't a bad thing, and even the cross section didn't show evidence of the added ingredient. That said, the smell gave away the orange as an aroma reminiscent of Terry's Chocolate Orange was discernible.

Taking a bite, undunked, the orange did come through and it sat well alongside the milk chocolate, which provided lusciously creamy, cocoa-infused notes as I continued to chew it. The significant biscuit layer provided a great textural contrast as it gave the biscuit a bit of resistance. Moreover, I found the biscuit layer to be a welcome mellow component alongside the indulgent feel of the topping. 

On the other hand, when dunked the texture of the biscuit layer was obviously lost but those sweet, milky cocoa notes emerged with full force alongside a very prominent taste of orange creating a particularly indulgent feel. Personally, after eating them like this, I would probably switch out the milk chocolate for dark in order to temper the sweetness a bit and give the biscuit a more balanced taste profile. 

SUMMING UP

The packaging was logical in its use of colour and it was coherent with the larger Digestives range. However, on the shelf, this nicely integrated look did compromise the personality of individual brands making it easier for the eye to gloss over. The biscuits themselves looked like normal milk chocolate Digestives but there was a pleasant orange-chocolate aroma about them. Undunked, the plain wheat base provided a great contrast in textures whilst the orange was carried through nicely on a smooth wave of milky chocolate. Dunked, the biscuits proved incredibly sturdy as they held together for over 30 seconds in a freshly made cuppa. Taste-wise, the texture of the base was lost but sweeter, milker notes of chocolate hit the palette immediately alongside a prominent orange flavour to create a very indulgent feel. All in all, aa tasty addition to the range but one I would certainly like to see in a dark chocolate version.

GBD LINKS

McVitie's Brand Hub

McVitie's Digestive

McVitie's Double Chocolate Digestive

BRAND LINKS

McVitie's Website - Digestives Page

McVitie's Twitter

OLD FAVOURITE: Fox's Party Rings

Long before people started reaching for the alcohol to get the party started they relied on simpler, more innocent things. Indeed, no self-respecting children's party was complete without the merry addition of Party Rings. With their cheerful packaging, brightly-coloured surfaces and sugary hit there wasn't much to not like about this brand of biscuit as a young child. 

THOUGHTS

Packaging:

The front of the packaging is as cheery as ever utilising a bright colour scheme of varying hues to impress upon the eye the feeling of energy and fun. The large brand name text is positioned on a slight diagonal and the letters are orientated at differing angles to inject a further playful spirit in to the design.

The main side of the packaging for display purposes carries on over the principal design in a nicely condensed fashion with the playful brand name featured against the biscuit decorated blue background. Moreover, Vinnie's 'quality guarantee' graphic features on the far right to help connect the product with the larger spirit of the Fox's brand. As for the other side, the primary design is cut short to allow for product information to be featured, which, at least by virtue of the bright background, doesn't feel overly dominant to the eye.

The back just includes the basic product text with a little notice to the far left referring consumer's to the product's variant, Party Footballs - a worthwhile inclusion as I didn't know this spin-off existed.

Biscuits:

Being reasonably small biscuits (around 45mm diameter), a Party Ring weighs in at a light 7g. Appearance-wise, I thought they still looked great with colourful toppings nicely finished off and decorative biscuit undersides - I particularly nice touch I thought. 

Taste-wise, well, firstly, I will say they smelt inviting with a nice sweet - but not overly so - aroma. Eating one, the biscuits provided that nice bite of biscuit and, by virtue of their topping, a slight chew which I found quite pleasant and unexpected. Moreover, I thought the biscuits were going to hit me over the head with a sugar but, again, I was surprised to find the sweetness not too intense - don't get me wrong, these will still make kid's very happy. 

  

SUMMING UP

I was pleasantly surprised with these. The packaging's design supports the biscuits positioning with its fun, vibrant overtones. The Rings themselves are still colourful and, I imagine, very attractive to the young children they are targeted at. Moreover, the biscuits aren't just a wave of sugar there is some pleasant textures to appreciate and the sweetness is not overdone. All in all, with all the nostalgia these evoked, I enjoyed this old favourite of the biscuit tin. 

BRAND LINKS

Fox's Biscuits Website
Fox's Biscuits Facebook

Fox's Biscuits Twitter