the new office c(g)raze….?!

Over the last week or so, the Cuckoo studio has been delighting itself with “Nature Delivered”… that is, the seduction of a tasty Graze Box….

On receipt of a special promotional code, I went about choosing what healthy treats I might like to nibble on during my day, which is then delivered on whatever day I choose, to wherever I choose…Predictably, the intrigue of a funky little cardboard box arriving through the post and landing straight onto my desk proved all too enticing for my colleagues who went about their own Graze explorations….

The remains of today's boxed delights....

Not only is it quite a nice novelty daytime treat, but the company “look”, ethics and website are all pretty pleasing to the eye too.

Fancy a bit yourself?

Claim a free box by visiting Graze.com and typing in 7TZDP6Y in the promo code box. My gift to you! I know, I’m all heart……

We’ve all been there… Stuck for what to flipping have for tea when you get in from a hard days graft at the Cuckoo HQ. Well worry no more my hungry little worker!

All you have to do is click this handy fudging link and it’ll choose it for you. And if you don’t like what’s on offer, it kindly suggests a frigging alternative.

Effing marvelous!

www.whatthefuckshouldimakefordinner.com

I’m all for animated GIFs. ALL FOR THEM. Forget that Flash is a million times better in every way… those in the know choose GIF.

Chew.

On Saturday I went to the Good Food Show in Birmingham.

I took my Mum along and look who we bumped into in the backstage area…..

Me and Mum with Gordon Ramsay

He was really nice and very chatty… and he didn’t swear at us once! : )  we even got a hug and a kiss too!

We also got to meet some other foodie celebs…..

My Mum with the Hairy Bikers

The presenters of Masterchef and Mum's friend.

If you’ve ever wondered what 12,600 calories look like in chewy ursine form (and who hasn’t), feast your eyes on the Giant Gummi Bear. Standing 24cm tall and weighing in at a diet-clobbering 2.3kg, this gelatinous lump of yumminess is equivalent to 1,400 regular sized Gummi Bears. In fact it’s the world’s largest. The dentist will see you now…

http://www.firebox.com/product/2560/Giant-Gummi-Bears

Do you, like Mr Nam, ever get the munchies after a night out and are lured into a local takeaway to sample the culinary delights that they have on offer? No, me neither, but just in case you was out and about around Glasgow on an evening and were feeling slightly peckish, then maybe the Munchy Box is what you require…

http://blog.23x.net/5/what-is-a-munchy-box.html

Calling all ale lovers!

From this weekend our very own sponsored beer, brewed by the wonderful Bazens Brewery of Salford, will be available at The Kings Arms (Bloom St, Salford)!

Don’t miss out!! You’ll love it!

You might remember earlier on in the year reading that Cuckoo was looking to sponsor it’s own beer!

Well, after a few months we are proud to announce that Cuckoo Design has sponsored Bazens Brewery to brew a batch of their Salford series beer called Cuckoo’s Nest!

The beer, has a striking label as designed by our creative team specially and we have to say that we are quite impressed with the result.

If you were lucky enough to catch this beer in cask form a few weeks ago then you would have already had a taste of the action, but for those of you who unfortunately missed it (like myself), the beer shall be available around Manchester very shortly! Alternatively you can order Cuckoo’s Nest direct from Bazens Brewery by contacting bazensbrewery@mac.com

I will keep you all updated on where you can find Cuckoo’s Nest so you can taste for yourselves the delights of Salford!

Last Friday the Cuckoo Crew went for a meal at Bem Brasil just off Deansgate. Be warned: This is not the place for a vegetarian!

As soon as we were seated and drinks had been ordered, we first made our way to the buffet where we could select from the delights that were not so meat orientated. These included broccoli, rice and some cooked banana’s just to name a few.

The moment we sat back on our seats, the meat started to come out. Huge skewers of beef, lamb, pork and (odd as it was) chicken hearts.
The only way to stop the mass of meat that was on offer being brought directly to your plate was to use the red or green side of a card. If you chose to show the green side of your card it was a sign that you would like more meat; if red was facing up on your card (as mine was after about fifteen minuets of non-stop eating), then the waiters would kindly leave you be, whilst digesting your meal and enjoying a nice Brazilian beer or tasteful glass of wine.

I was shocked at the amount that some of our group could fit in their stomachs! Ollie had his card on green for the whole evening as far as I could tell, and even tried out one of the chicken hearts, which he described as a small, gristly liver to taste.

The whole experience was great, and for meat lovers this is a definite must, if only to see how long you can stay on green before you get the meat sweats.
Next time though, I would probably wear some stretchy pants.

Find Bem Brazil Restaurants at http://www.bembrasilrestaurants.com.

So I’m listening to Radio 5live whilst showering this morning and through the obvious watery sounds I hear the Cuckoo is a threatened species.

Surely not?!

The ‘red list’ is nothing to do with Fergie’s summer transfer targets but the RSPB’s definition of those most in need of urgent conservation action. Apparently the cuckoo is one of a number of summer-visiting birds that are appearing in every decreasing numbers. So much so that RSPB conservation director Mark Avery has described the cuckoo’s decline as “most shocking” where numbers have declined by almost 40% over the last 15 years.

The experts are not yet certain why migrant birds are declining in the UK. The outlook seems bleak for our namesake renowned for its distinctive springtime song.

However we are not going to silenced so easily. In a show of solidarity we’re turning-up the volume, now regularly ‘tweeting’ away on the latest web sensation Twitter.

Follow us – http://twitter.com/CuckooDesign