Category: Blog

by BlockleyN

National Sandwich Day – Britain’s Favourite Sandwich 2020

Now, we know British Sandwich Week is celebrated between 17th – 23rd May but in 2020, a certain pandemic put a bit a damper on things. That doesn’t mean the celebrations should stop though, oh no… 

The 3rd November sees National Sandwich Day, and whilst it was originally an American celebration, it’s definitely spread and is fast becoming an anticipated date in the diaries of many across the globe, including the UK! These days, it’s often referred to as World Sandwich Day due to the global appreciation for sandwiches, and we can see why the world would want to celebrate this marvellously delicious creation – the possibilities are endless!

With National Sandwich Day on the horizon and our mouths watering at the thought of digging into our favorite sarnies, we wanted to have a little fun and find out what Britain’s sandwich eating habits are, and we have to say… some of the answers were rather interesting!

Not only that, of course we also wanted to find out what Britain’s favourite sandwich is, so we let 400 people tell us what makes their perfect sandwich… the result may (or may not) surprise you!

  National Sandwich Day - Britain's Favourite Sandwich 2020 - CDA Appliances  

And Britain’s favourite sandwich is…

 

1st Place – Cheese and Onion (12%)

2nd Place – Tuna Mayo (10%)

3rd Place – Cheese and Ham (4%)

A simple yet comforting choice, it certainly has its place on our table!  Despite meat-based sandwiches being at the top of the list across most of the age groups we surveyed, cheese plays a huge part in shaping our favourites – accounting for 28.5% of all the individual ingredients chosen! 

It seems we’re a butter-loving nation too, with a whopping 78% of respondents agreeing it has to be the foundation of every decent sandwich. And we have to take sandwich construction seriously. It appears there is an optimal amount of fillings for the perfect sandwich… two, to be exact! A huge 45% of the sandwiches shared had two fillings, we can’t argue with that!

One thing we did find fascinating was the trends between generations. It appears the younger generations aren’t the militant vegans they seem to have gained a reputation for, largely choosing meat as the main ingredient for their favourite sandwich. Gen X and Boomers on the other hand, preferred a more veggie/fishy vibe. 

So, what other sandwiches are people fawning over?  There were some interesting choices. Some were a little more obscure than others, but we’re not here to judge! Here are some of the favourite sandwiches our team of 400 participants put forward that you probably won’t be finding on supermarket shelves any time soon (or maybe you will, who knows):

  • Lemon curd – A popular choice in Yorkshire, apparently.
  • Cheese and onion crisps with salad cream – I guess the cheese and onion element is still there…
  • Ham and pease pudding – They’d normally go together, so why not slap them on a sandwich?!
  • Bread and butter – Interestingly, this one came up more than once… 
  • Smoked mackerel and salt & vinegar crisps – This feels like one of those “don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it” sandwiches…
  • Spanish omelette – Because why not?
  • Cheese and onion sandwich filler with crispy bacon – Might have to try this.
  • Bacon, Brie and carrot chutney – DEFINITELY trying this.
Sandwiches have been around for centuries and there’s not many places you can go these days where you can’t pick one up in some form. The vibrant history of the humble sarnie is varied and some may say quite intriguing, so let’s take a look at some fun sandwich facts:

  • Around 12 billion sandwiches are eaten in the UK alone every year.
  • The sandwich is named after John Montagu (1718-92), the 4th Earl of Sandwich, who popularised eating beef between two slices of toasted bread when he wanted something convenient to eat whilst gambling. Though somewhat hazy, he isn’t actually regarded as the inventor of the sandwich. The inventor is said to be Hillel the Elder, a Jewish Rabbi from the 1st Century A.D who started the Passover tradition of putting meat and bitter herbs between pieces of matzah.

    The idea was that meat represents abundance, the bitter herbs represent the difficulties of life and the matzah represents liberation and freedom – the metaphor being that all three should be taken together. The Hillel Sandwich is still a big part of Passover to this day.
  • The earliest reference to a bacon sandwich as listed by the Oxford English Dictionary, was by George Orwell in 1931.
  • The town of Sandwich in Kent, UK has no direct connection to sandwiches at all.
  • The verb “to sandwich” is over 200 years old and was first used in 1815 to mean “to have a light meal”.
  • In 2008, an attempt in Iran to beat the world record for the world’s biggest sandwich failed when the impatient crowd decided to eat it before it was measured… oops!
  • According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a sandwich can’t be called a sandwich unless it contains at least 35% meat (but no more than 50%)… nope.
  • The word “sandwich” is only used once in the entire works of Jane Austen. It’s in Mansfield Park, in case you were wondering.
  So there you have it! Lots of sandwich talk to get your taste buds tingling! What delight will you be treating yourself to this National Sandwich Day? Let us know!

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You’re more than welcome to use the graphic for your own content, all we ask is that you credit cda.eu as the original source.
by BlockleyN

The New Celebrity Limited Edition Range from McDonald’s… Kinda

McDonald’s recently added the Travis Scott Burger to their repertoire, offering a twist on the beloved Quarter Pounder Meal. The rapper is known for his love of the fast food giant’s menu staple. As a result, the Quarter Pounder was upgraded to include bacon and lettuce as part of the month-long promo in collaboration with his label, Cactus Jack. 

It’s all well and good expressing the love with a collaboration, but what about paying homage to those famous names that have lived and breathed the fast food industry?

It’s no secret that so many big names from entertainment, politics and business had humble beginnings. Earning their keep flipping burgers, serving ice creams and dishing up other such guilty pleasures before hitting the big time. And we think that deserves some recognition because it just goes to show that you can do what you need to get by while still chasing your dreams. On top of that, if lockdown has taught us anything, it’s that believing in yourself when times are tough is one of the most powerful things you can do. 

With that, we give you the Celebrity Limited Edition range!

A new range of McDonald’s burgers, sides and desserts dedicated to a few of those whose movies have had us on the edge of our seat, whose songs we’ve sang at the top of our voices, and whose political resume has inspired us to believe that anything is possible. 

Because credit where it’s due, right?!

So, which one will you be treating yourself to?…


Barack Obama – Barack O’ Ribs Meal

Barack O' Ribs burger for McDonald's - CDA Appliances

You may or may not know that the 44th President of the United States actually started his working life scooping ice cream at the Baskin Robbins store near his grandparents Honolulu home. He said that it taught him some valuable lessons; responsibility, hard work and balancing a job with friends, family and school. All pretty handy traits of someone destined to be the leader of the free world. 

The Barack O’ Ribs meal is made up of a Chicago Italian beef patty topped with White House Honey Porter slow-braised ribs. On the side you’ll find Hawaiian fries: a generous portion of McDonald’s fries topped with smoky bacon pieces, charred pineapple, creamy cheese and BBQ sauce. This gets our vote!


Gwen Stefani – The L.A.M.B Burger Meal

Gwen Stefani L.A.M.B Burger - CDA Appliances

Given that Ms Stefani is a life-long vegan, working in a Dairy Queen before unleashing her distinctive vocals on the world seems pretty unbelievable, but it’s true. We can only assume that serving up all of those creamy treats only made her more determined to get to where she wanted to be. 

A meat-based meal just wouldn’t seem right, so the L.A.M.B burger is of course totally vegan with a seitan lamb style patty, dairy-free tzatziki and avocado enveloped in a charcoal bun. But, if the burger isn’t quite cool enough, add some glittery extra long Harajuku fries on the side. Quite possibly the trendiest meal you’ll eat, of that we have No Doubt.


Jeff Bezos – The Prime Rib Burger Meal

Jeff Bezos Prime Rib Burger - CDA Appliances

Did you know that the world’s richest man’s first job was flipping burgers at McDonalds for just $2.69 an hour back in the early 80’s? Not bad for a man who’s added $67 billion to his net worth so far this year, and it’s only October! And while Bezos has his fingers in many pies these days (owner of the Washington Post and space travel company, Blue Origin to name a few), his biggest (and probably most controversial) accomplishment is of course, Amazon.  

So, we present to you the Prime Rib Burger. A succulent prime rib patty topped with a fried egg and edible gold leaf… well… because, why not? Served with regular fries. No frills. No fuss. In stock. Same day delivery.


Madonna – The Madonna McFlurry Collection

Madonna McFlurry Collection - CDA Appliances

The queen of reinvention has had a somewhat checkered past, but she’s made it work. In the midst of it all, Dunkin’ Donuts was how she paid the bills when she set out to make her fortune having fled Detroit for New York City. It didn’t last long though as she was fired for squirting sauce at a customer! I guess we should be grateful it didn’t work out there, because where would we be without Like a Virgin and Vogue (among many others) gracing our cheesy music playlists that we secretly love?

We’re pretty confident these additions to the McFlurry family would be just as iconic as the musical megastar they pay homage to. Papa Don’t Peach is fruity in every sense of the word, with rich clotted cream ice cream, real peaches and mango sauce, this one will get you in all sorts of trouble… deep. If you’re looking for a more classy, indulgent affair, then the Material Whirl is what you need. A classic Mcflurry with strawberry sauce, buttery shortcake pieces and rich chocolate bites. Because diamonds aren’t a girl’s best friend… ice cream is.   


Mark Hamill – The Pies of Skywalker

The Pies of Skywalker - CDA Appliances

Another McDonald’s alumni who scored his first real job with the fast food chain when he was just 16. But that wasn’t the end of fast food for Hamill. While pursuing his acting dreams in Hollywood, he also worked at Jack in the Box to make ends meet, but he was fired for doing character voices while manning the drive-thru… It seems putting in all that practice paid off and the silver screen gods were looking down on him, because not long after he landed the role of a lifetime as Darth’s favourite kid, Luke Skywalker.  

And what better way to celebrate such a win than with pie? But not just any pie, the Pies of Skywalker. Sink your teeth into a Hoth Cherry Pie which is full of hot cinnamon, cherry and vanilla custard filling, with a light dusting of snowy icing sugar. Or, if that’s not quite sickly sweet enough, a Wookie Dough Pie is where it’s at with its rich and “Chewie” double chocolate chip cookie dough filling. May the sauce be with you, you’re gonna need it. 


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Prefer to flip your own burgers instead? Why not check out our range of hobs? With an array of ceramic hobs, gas hobs and induction hobs to choose from, you’ll be flipping all day! 

DISCLAIMER: This piece is just a bit of fun and purely conceptual, all images are for illustrative purposes only. We are in no way affiliated with any of the brands, personalities or names mentioned. You’re more than welcome to use the images for your own content, all we ask is that you cite cda.eu as the original source. 
by BlockleyN

Gender Switch: Iconic Household Brand Mascots Redesigned

So many household brands that we’ve come to know and love over the years have cemented their place in our home with the addition of a quirky mascot. A defining, relatable character that champions the brand, a familiar face on the shopping aisles of the supermarket – all designed to catch and hold your attention. 

Generally, you might not give a brand mascot much thought, but when you look past all the bright colours and charisma, there’s one thing that seems to be quite obvious about the bigger picture – where are all the women at?! 

Many mascots have been around for decades and as the advertising industry was predominantly male led, branding definitely had a more masculine bias. But, when male brand mascots outnumber female mascots two-to-one, is there still a place for this approach in today’s society? 

As new brands forge their way into our homes, it would seem that the industry is in fact moving away from gendered branding in favour of a more neutral approach where gender parity becomes a priority, and rightly so. Women aren’t defined by the colour pink anymore and men like to cook and clean, too. 

With this in mind, we asked the question… is there still a place on our shelves for the older, established brand mascots? 

With International Women’s Day on the 8th March, we wanted to do something that would cast a light on these outdated brand mascots and level the playing field a little bit. While we certainly don’t want to reinforce female stereotypes, we do want to point out that women are capable of being strong enough to represent cleaning products for tough jobs. They can be mischievous without being sexy and they like to eat food, too…


Toilet Duck

Toilet Duck Mascot Gender Switch - CDA Appliances

A somewhat household essential, the Toilet Duck brand (and all of its pseudonyms) has held its place in many bathrooms around the world since the early 1980’s. While the branding and mascot for Toilet Duck took a more adrogenous form in the beginning, it actually became more masculine over time, leading to the muscular, imposing incarnation we see today. This almost feels like a backstep on the journey to advertising neutrality. 


Mr Muscle 

Mr Muscle Mascot Gender Switch - CDA Appliances

Another household cleaning brand that began life in the 80’s, Mr Muscle was reported to “love the jobs you hate”, backed up by ad campaigns featuring a somewhat effeminate male character eager to get stuck in. Again, over the years, this image has been transformed into a more literal representation of the name and the mascot is now portrayed as a large, muscular male superhero ready to save the day.


Pringles

Pringles Mascot Gender Switch - CDA Appliances

The stylised cartoon character of “Julius Pringles” has become just as iconic as the saddle-shaped crisps themselves. With his wide moustache and bowtie, the character seemingly represents a traditional gentleman, one that would be in the upper levels of social class – suggesting that Pringles were deserving of a higher status than other crisps. 


Green Giant Sweetcorn

Green Giant Sweetcorn Mascot Gender Switch - CDA Appliances

The Jolly Green Giant has represented tinned sweetcorn since the Minnesota Valley Canning Co came up with the concept in the late 1920’s. Since then, little has changed as far as his image goes. A towering figure of strength and typical masculinity, the chiselled jawline and strong legs promote good health, while the colours used signify natural goodness. 

But the Jolly Green Giant wasn’t always so jolly. In the early years he wasn’t well received as he was deemed too scary, he had to be “softened” with a sunny smile and a more inviting posture to add a certain level of tenderness to his image. 


Rice Krispies

Rice Krispies Mascot Gender Switch - CDA Appliances

The mischievous elf-like trio known as Snap, Crackle and Pop were created way back in the early 1930’s. But, it wasn’t until the late 1940’s they were reimagined with youthful, more proportional features to appeal to a younger audience. 

High energy mischief seems to be their game, but the idea that only boys are capable of this is something of a falsehood. On a side note, it seems that there are very few branded cereals that promote a female mascot, is it time the industry as a whole had a complete overhaul?


Captain Birds Eye

Captain Birds Eye Mascot Gender Switch - CDA Appliances

An icon of 1960’s food advertising, the captain has represented frozen food since the brands inception. Generally depicted as a clean living, older sailor with a white beard, it’s a very typical representation of what we’d expect a naval captain to be. These days, the role of captain is no longer reserved just for men and an increasing number of women continue to take up the position.


Frosties 

Kellogg's Frosties Mascot Gender Switch - CDA Appliances

As we mentioned before, the female of the species are seriously underrepresented when it comes to breakfast cereals. Tony the Tiger has become somewhat of an icon since his debut in the early 1950’s. The character we see today was created by a group of former Disney animators, and was the result of a competition run by Kellogg’s to come up with a new mascot for their latest cereal. Interesting fact, that same group of animators also designed The Jolly Green Giant and Snap, Crackle and Pop.


Homepride

Homepride Mascot Gender Switch - CDA Appliances

Fred the Flour Grader (as is his full name) has been the smiley, bowler hatted mascot for Homepride since his creation in 1964. Promoted as “mums special helper”, he’s seemingly capable of saving any family from meal time woes, the character has even been turned into a range of kitchen products and utensils. Interestingly, Fred had been on a 15 year hiatus until Homepride decided to bring him back in 2014.

Disclaimer: We are not in any way affiliated with the brands mentioned, all images are for illustrative purposes only. You’re more than welcome to use the images for your own content, all we ask is that you credit cda.eu as the original source.
by BlockleyN

Fast Food Rivals: Logo Mashups

Many of the fast-food chains that we know and love are not only famous for their food and drinks but for the company logo that represents them. The familiar golden arches of McDonald’s, the iconic two-tailed mermaid of Starbucks… Instantly, we know exactly what big brand we’re dealing with and the type of refreshments we can expect.

For many, these logo designs are cultural icons, emblems of a lifestyle that we’ve become accustomed to. But how deep into our subconscious are these famous logos ingrained? Would we still recognize the big companies behind them if they weren’t quite the same?

As a brand, the recognisability of your logo idea is a crucial component for driving success. This is why you’ll hardly ever see drastic changes made over the years. A perfect example of this is the Coca Cola logo: despite a slight deviation in the late 1800s, the logo has remained largely the same. A classic case of if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, some might say. But CDA wanted to mix things up.

The rivalry between famous brands is inevitable, and no more so than in the food industry. But what if rival brands wanted to collaborate? Could they really work together from a branding point of view? We took this totally hypothetical situation and decided to have a little fun, so we’ve “mashed up” some of the most well-known fast food logos out there to see just how malleable they really are… and we have to say, our brains are now a little fuzzy because of it!

Check them out below and let us know what you think…

Subway Vs Jimmy Johns

Subway Vs Jimmy Johns logo - CDA

Starbucks Vs Tim Hortons

Starbucks Vs Tom Hortons logo - CDA

Pepsi Vs Coca Cola

Pepsi Vs Coca Cola logo - CDA

Krispy Kreme Vs Dunkin’ Donuts

Krispy Kreme Vs Dunkin' Donuts logo - CDA

Greggs Vs Pret-a-Manger

Greggs Vs Pret-a-Manger logo - CDA

KFC Vs Chick-Fil-A

KFC Vs Chick-fil-a logo - CDA

Domino’s Pizza Vs Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut Vs Domino's logo - CDA

Cadbury Vs Hershey’s

Cadbury Vs Hershey Logo - CDA

McDonald’s Vs Burger King

MacDonalds Vs Burger King Logo - CDA

Baskin Robbins Vs Dairy Queen

Baskin Robbins Vs Dairy Queen logo - CDA   You’re more than welcome to use this post for your own content, all we ask is that you link to CDA.eu as the original source.
by BlockleyN

The UK’s Favourite Biscuit 2019: REVEALED

As a nation of biscuit lovers, it stands to reason that the good people of the UK have a favourite. Some folk will opt for a humble Digestive, others fancy a Lotus Biscoff with their coffee. Whichever you choose, there’s always going to be someone that disagrees… but by how much is the question?

With National Biscuit Day on the 29th of May, we surveyed over 1000 people in the UK to determine which biscuits we value most right here and now in 2019. So without further ado, let me present to you their poll results… You might find the winner to be a little controversial!

Drum roll please…

Uk's favourite biscuit 2019 - CDA

Jaffa Cake is The UK’s Favourite Biscuit 2019

So the gelatinous, tangy deliciousness that is the Jaffa Cake has come out on top! But some might say it’s not even a biscuit, and legally they’d be right.

In 1991, the courts ruled in favour of McVities when they fought to have the Jaffa Cake classified as a cake for tax purposes. If a biscuit is covered in chocolate it becomes a luxury item, therefore the standard 20% VAT is applied, however this doesn’t apply to cakes. So while legally it is a cake, the people have spoken and have ruled that the Jaffa Cake is indeed a biscuit… and their favourite one at that!

With a whopping 17.8% of the votes, Jaffa Cakes beat out Shortbread for the top spot which has 13.6% of the votes. The biggest loser this year was the Chocolate Hobnob with 7.5% of the votes, dropping from 2nd place to 7th. The Chocolate Digestive also took a tumble, falling ffom 1st place to 4th overall with 11.8% of the votes.

There were also some non-movers and some new entries, with the Ginger Nut and Plain Digestive holding on to their 8th and 9th places, respectively. The Lotus Biscoff made an entrance, coming in 11th place, will the new found poplularity of this cafe culture favourite see it rise further up the ranks in years to come? Only time will tell!

You’re more than welcome to use this post for your own content, all we ask is that you link to CDA.eu as the original source.