missiecindz.com | Missie Cindz

You are invited to attend Missie Cindz’s seasonal Pud Inn Club on Saturday 22nd June held in The Rutland Arms (upstairs) starting 2.00pm – 4.30pm with a ‘Happy Hour’ {booze} pudding themed menu.

Dessert doesn’t have to mean straightforward cakes, pies or puddings. We will be adding a splash (or two) of liqueur or wine to kick your favorite treat up a notch ~ join me for a sweet afternoon to enjoy a delicious 5 course of treats with spirits made by local Sheffield bakers, pubs, restaurants and Pud Inn diners.

The pudding possibilities are endless; some are more familiar, think of the boozy Italian Tiramisu, Chocolate Guinness Cake and the classic Sherry Trifle – this is not the menu by the way, and you’ll just have to wait until the day to find out what’s on your 5 course puds menu.

Event Details
•    When: Saturday 22nd June (2pm – 4.30pm)
•    Where: Rutland Arms
•    Price: £8 per person
•    NOM size: 25-30 people

This is a ticketed event and places are limited, Pud Inn tickets are £8 per person and will be available to purchase at the bar from Monday 3rd June or via email booking from 7am, and won’t be able to reserve Pud Inn tickets before this date. Please do look out for more event details on this blog, twitter by following the hashtag #MissiesPudInn or by joining and liking our facebook event’s page.

About Missie’s Pud Inn
Pud Inn’s GREAT! Support your local pub, local bakers, local talent AND brighten the community! What’s not to love!?  It is a friendly and informal afternoon with other pudding enthusiasts from Sheffield and beyond – if you want to come alone and make new friends, that’s fine too. Yes, Pud Inn is rather naughty and it’s unhealthy but I think everyone is allowed a guilty pleasure once in a while – after all – “what’s life without treats!?”.

During the afternoon you have a chance to see familiar faces, give and build a great Sheffield community – something that I believe we should be doing on a daily basis. Even if you don’t know the food producers or bakers involved and don’t know what to expect; it all adds to the Pud Inn experience.

If you missed our last ‘Around the World’ PudInn event you can read about what we got up to right here!

Finally…
If you would like to put your name on our waiting list or to express your interest in future events then please join our mailing list to be kept up to date with my tasteful food adventure or alternatively follow me on twitter and facebook.

Wow, after this write-up I need something sweet! ~ see you all in June ~ Missie Cindz :)

{Artwork by Cindy Cheung}

Wall mural of Harry Brearley, discoverer of stainless steel by Sheffield's street artist, Faunagraphic

Attracting attention in Sheffield

Raising Awareness through Sheffield Street Art

After a whole week of everyone tweeting about this. I had to see it myself  – local talented (amazing) street artist, Faunagraphic does it again with a mural of Sheffield-born and raised Harry Brearley, discoverer of stainless ‘rustless’ steel. Painted on the wall of the Howard Hotel close to the Sheffield train station, and you really do have to see the mural in real-life to truly appreciate the artwork and attention to detail.

One thing that always blows me away about Sheffield is the vast amount of street art that has been painted around. In the past few years, I’ve discovered to admire what street artists do ~ as creatives, artists and designers it’s important to communicate in a way that makes people think deeper, feel deeper. I’ve been a fan of Faunagraphic’s work for some time now, and what I like about her artwork is that it promotes a sense of place and an environment of longevity, growth, and spiritual well-being – I’m captured into her world of ‘ a better place‘ fusing wildlife and fine art in her work.

Via street art we can discover something new, I discovered that Harry Brearley was the founder of Stainless Steel (and I thought I knew a lot about Sheffield!).

Get inspired by more of Faunagraphic’s work here. Also, check out the amazing time-lapse video by Richard Bolam, who recorded the entire process of the Harry Brearley mural here.

{photos by Cindy Cheung as shared on Instagram}

It’s never too late to build your future.
Write down your own future in a Missie Cindz book.

Writing isn’t magic and it isn’t some kind of innate talent that one either has or doesn’t — it’s motivational, endearing and inspirational. At least for me. A simple notebook has completely changed my way of approaching work, business and life this year ~ read my blog post: Good everyday notes worth eating via #cindy365notes.

On the 3rd of each month I’m going to send one budding, current, or retired writer their very own Missie Cindz Recipes, Snap or Ready notebook in which to start your own true tale of liquor, adventure, entrepreneurship and big shot ideas, and because that first blank page is always a bit intimidating I’m going to mark it up for you with a Missie Cindz note of ‘Do It‘. No excuses, get to writing.

Even Sir Richard Branson tells the importance of having a notebook “Anyone who aspires to lead a company must develop a habit of taking notes. I carry a notebook everywhere I go.” – source

How to enter
All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning one of my notebooks is to tell me, in 30 words or less, as a kid what did you want to be when you grow up ~ perhaps it’s something you still want to do now? I’ll select one winner at random on the 3rd of each month. You can send me your answer as a comment below or by tweeting me: @MissieCindz and the hashtag #MissieNotebookGiveaway. You can comment as many times as you want but it doesn’t affect your chances of winning, your name will be entered into the competition for the rest of the year.

The competition giveaway begins today 04/05/2013 and ends 03/05/2014 ~ Winner will be announced on the 3rd of each month and is open to international readers. I will cover all postage costs.

Feel free to spread the word. Good luck everyone and I look forward to seeing a year of beautiful writings and doodles from you! ~ Missie Cindz

Notebook information: The notebooks are 52 page A5 sized 100% recycled books that are perfect for dropping in a handbag (or totebag), desk drawer or leaving in the car or beside the bed for when inspiration strikes in unusual places. On the inside front cover, there is a small tag to scribble your name. Printed in the UK on heavyweight recycled luxury paper and card. To see more of my notebooks visit my shop > here <

It is often said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

During my first month in London, I discovered the Breakfast Club, the little yellow cafes in London that serves a twist on cosy morning comforts. Since discovering the place in my first week, and having eaten a pancake or three I’ve been allured to their yellow den (hang-outs) ever since!

Instead of soggy cornflakes, porridge or PB and J, there’s Eggs Benedict served with home-style fried potatoes, the BC Fish Finger Sandwich with skin-on chips and coleslaw, or you can go for something sweeter with apple and cinnamon soaked oats and the All American pancakes, eggs, sausage, home-style fried potatoes, streaky bacon and maple syrup! ~ heart attack on a plate I hear you scream? but, actually it wasn’t as greasy as it sounds.

The Breakfast Club serves some of the best smoothies and shakes I’ve ever had (try, the ELVIS – Peanut Butter and Banana). Really, I crave for their shakes! The place has a kind of good-humored, 80′s warm-hearted feel and after leaving the place, you feel like going home and sticking on The Breakfast Club movie to watch.

As a heads up, the place can get really busy (we had to wait for a table), but service is incredibly fast and I didn’t feel rushed and like I had to quickly finish off my meal so that the table could be prepped ready for the next customer. These guys also have great taste in music too. Definitely a ‘must try’ place to go for breakfast, brunch or dinner in London. It’s become my new go-to spot when I need something quick to warm my belly…

The Breakfast Club  |  31 Camden Passage, London N1 8EA  |  020 7226 5454

{Photos by Cindy Cheung and Baz Chan (last pic)}

Tea: making new memories and people happy

On Wednesday 24 April, 200 tea-lovers joined Yorkshire Tea for a trip on the Orient Express to celebrate the joy of a proper brew. We were treated to a tea-lightful afternoon chugging around the London countryside whilst enjoying afternoon tea with champagne and tea, and to finish off, the Yorkshire Tea Brass Band got everyone dancing whilst supping exclusive Yorkshire Tea cocktails served by Jake from Jakes Bar.

For the last few months, I’ve been thinking a lot about what brings me motivation and joy. Sure, I love a good cuppa tea or a slice of good cake…but making other people happy really tops that list. What Yorkshire Tea did this week was deeply generous, and truly made lots of people happy; creating new (lasting) memories and experiences which even money couldn’t buy! ~ well, you could if you had a lot of it but we don’t; and Yorkshire Tea also gave tea-lovers something positive to talk about, simply to bring a smile to someone’s face.

We should all think about doing something to spread a little positivity. Those moments of happiness are so important especially during bleak times like these.

Making new friends over a proper brew
Here’s a sneaky peep of my day captured as photographs – afternoon tea, finger sandwiches, cakes, champagne and more!

Onboard the train, I met Steve Jones of TunneltoTowers Run London (T2T), one of a group of fire fighters who went to help with Hurricane Sandy relief and Yorkshire Tea sent tea to. I’m looking forward to supporting his charity run and helping with some fundraising this summer. Lots of support is still  needed for the T2T charity run ~ see here for more details: www.tunnel2towersrun.org

Thank you Orient Express, Yorkshire Tea, Sam Ward and everyone involved in making the day so memorable! A special thank you to Peter Hamblin for the photograph of me (first photo), you captured my day perfectly! :) – Missie Cindz

{All photos from Cindy Cheung. First photo from Peter Hamblin Photography}

Can you really judge a book by its cover? Maybe…or maybe not… There are hundreds of reasons why a product is preferred and picked over the others. I know the value of a product should be based on how it works/tastes but, are you like me – a bit of a sucker for delicious packaging!?

The quality of a product can be well judged by its ‘appearance‘ and when it comes to food; the packaging should be appetising and aimed to strengthen the product’s key messages (or how I like to call them, the product’s storytelling attributes) that results in grabbing the attention of consumers and stimulating a purchase.

When people purchase something with quality design, it sends a little subliminal message that they’ve made a good decision, and actually increases their opinion of the product regardless of how good it actually is. Now, more than ever, food packaging can be an expression of our mindset, identity, spirit, culture, and aspirations. The way a product carries its packaging gives a boost to its quality and value. When I pitch or put together concept visuals for a client, good food packaging should be designed in a way so as to satiate the aesthetics of a consumer so they will always be coming back for more, and is something that strengthens an everlasting connection the consumer with the product.

Take a look at the way food products are presented in inspiring packaging; how the material is refined and having impressive quality helps to reinforce the business/brand’s message/story. Today’s blog post shares with you my top three most favourite packaging projects where I played part in creating the brand identity and retail packaging for your inspiration. Packaging is much more than ‘the box around the product’. It not only fulfills a lot of functions ranging from ‘protecting’ to ‘informing’ and beyond, but also plays a vital role in the supply – and added value chain of a product(s).

Take a step further by learning and acquiring ideas from this collection of food packaging. Go on, take it away…

1) Missie Cindz Vintage Preserves Jam

A collaboration with Sheffield-based caterers, PJ taste, to create my own Missie Cindz branded selection of hand-made jams, jellies, and preserves, under the name ‘Vintage Preserves’. Starting off with plum jam, where all the fruit used was grown in my garden at home in Sheffield and personally hand picked. The packaging was designed to give an organic and artisan-crafted feel, reflecting the Missie Cindz visual style in the branding, typography and material selection.

There’s something cosy and nostalgic about the name of Vintage Preserves and I wanted the packaging to reflect a crafty, home made and traditional feel. The main jar labels carry a handmade, slightly whimsical quality. I had the labels printed on uncoated recycled paper for a more textured effect, contrasting against the smoothness of the glass jar and glossy circle ‘flavours’ labels. I deliberately kept the design of the labels simple, allowing for more freedom and variety in my decorating choices.

A limited batch of 50 jars of Vintage Preserves Plum Jam in three wonderful flavours, Sheffield Plum (original), plum & Cinnamon and Plum & Vanilla was initially produced and stocked in the PJ taste shop. All sold out with further varieties planned.

In December 2012, I collaborated again with PJ taste for the Christmas season to launch a special limited edition of delicious chutneys. Christmas dinner would not be complete without the customary condiment and we offered customers caramelised onion with burnt orange chutney a try, something different to the cranberry sauce!

I created a lid label sticker for each flavour (defined by the ingredient colour) and months of the year, to reflect the fact that recipes and ingredients change with the seasons.

2) The Sheffield Egg

I worked closely with Peter of PJ taste, someone who I worked with previously on the Missie Cindz Vintage Preserves brand, to create a trusted new product. Rooted in Sheffield excellence, the Sheffield Egg doesn’t compromise on quality ~ the ploughman’s-style covering egg uses pork from Povey Farm in Sheffield’s Moss Valley combined with PJ Taste chutney and Yorkshire cheese with a dash of Henderson’s Relish gives a distinctive Sheffield tang, further emphasising the local heritage. Crucially, the egg is then tossed in toasted breadcrumbs and baked rather than deep fried – making it healthy too.

I was asked to create a new brand that would offer an appealing ready-to-eat snack with stand-out presence, with a packaging and label design that needed to fulfill the predefined goals by PJ taste of provenance, whimsical and quality, all which had to be met within a nominal budget. It’s been a year since the first Sheffield Egg was cracked, the egg made it’s first appearance at The Sheffield Food Festival in 2012 and continues to have something fun about the brand, giving a sense of enthusiasm and creative flair in the PJ taste kitchen – which is something we always wanted to encompass in the product from the beginning.

The PJ taste Sheffield Egg is currently available to purchase in their coffee shop on West Street and Urban Pantry Deli, Sheffield.

3) Sushi To Go

The visual identity for the new ‘take-out’ sushi brand from Sushi Express needed to echo the owners’ huge excitement and enthusiasm for something that would wave goodbye to the expected traditional message synonymous with sushi, and welcome in new customers looking for a healthier take-out option.

Packaging and labelling was key to promoting the real health benefit to consumers as well as communicating Sushi Express’s brand ethos of offering a wide variety of high quality sushi at affordable prices whether you’re looking to dine in or take away. I opted for a straightforward, honest design with attitude, where the product name speaks for itself. Photography is used to explain the product (individual sushi) quickly, encouraging hunger, and show convenience. Best of all, the use of imagery shows how delicious and fun nutritious food can be.

I wanted to include an eye-catching, easy-to-display packaging system that also provided one-glance recognition of contents. The different colours are combined in a way to really stand out on the shelf.

Sushi Express ‘Sushi To Go’ is currently available to purchase in their restaurant on Milton Street, Sheffield and in Tai Sun Oriental Supermarket.

What Do You Think?
I hope you enjoyed me sharing some of my packaging case studies and find inspiration in them to apply to your own design work or service. What do you think makes successful food packaging design? ~ do exchange your thoughts and ideas by commenting below.

{photos by Cindy Cheung, Callum Biggin, PJ taste and We Are Fine}