Ling Design has cooked up a special greeting card collection with culinary celebrity, Prue Leith that will be served up on the card publisher’s stand at PG Live next week (Tuesday 4 June and Wednesday 5 June). What’s more, Prue will be there in person to add her unique colourful flavouring to the show.
The new licensed card range has been produced in collaboration with Prue and her great friend, the artist David Hawson. The greeting cards feature David’s vibrant watercolour art of favourite foodie ingredients to illustrate their shared passion for food and colour. For each one Prue has created a unique corresponding recipe which features on the back of the card.
As Prue Leith, the beloved judge of Great British Bake Off TV series and longtime culinary celebrity, explained: “David and I have been friends for years and so it has been a huge pleasure to work together. He is tremendously talented and I adore the way he has celebrated the colour and vitality of these wonderful ingredients with his paintbrush.”
Prue is coming to PG Live with her husband, John Playfair and will be on the Ling Design stand late morning on the first day (Tuesday 4 June). “I am so excited to learn what the card industry thinks of our collaboration and look forward to seeing the range at PG Live,” said Prue.
David’s work also appears in the recently published cookery book, entitled ‘PRUE, My all time favourite recipes’, her first for 25 years and a signed copy of the cookery book will be won through a prize draw on the Ling stand at the show.
Commenting on the new card collection from the Ling perspective, Amelia Strawson, marketing manager told PG Buzz: “This is significant launch from our point of view. Although we work with some high profile designers on Penny Kennedy, this is quite a different licensing step for Ling, particularly with the addition of the recipes from Prue.”
Just as Amelia admits that the company’s only culinary credentials are its ‘Friday cake day’, Prue confesses that hitherto it is her husband, John Playfair, who has been the greeting card gatekeeper in their relationshop. “John is fantastic on the card front – I only need to say ‘have you got a card for x?’ and he’s there with something to suit,” Prue told PG Buzz.
The Ling Design signing is part of Prue’s new licensing programme, which kicked off with calendar and diary from Portico Designs and confectionery from House of Sarund that launched at Spring Fair. (https://www.pgbuzz.net/prue-leith-to-cook-up-a-storm-on-portico-designs-stand-at-spring-fair/)
Playing a pivotal role in Prue’s whole licensing programme is greeting card industry stalwart Riou Baxter (who together with his business partner Mike Broad runs Why Management).
Explaining more, Riou, who has been in the industry for over 40 years told PG Buzz: “Prue’s husband and I have a close mutual friend. We all agreed that given her huge popularity and standing that it was strange that she did not a licensing programme. I offered to look after the licensing in the product areas that I know a bit about!”
Ling Design (Stand 204) and House of Sarund (Stand 527), are two of the 230+ companies who will be exhibiting at PG Live (June 4 and 5 at London’s Business Design Centre). To make sure you are at this amazing celebration of the exciting greeting card industry, register now https://pgl-2019.reg.buzz/
Online registration works really well, but if you don’t have an easily accessible email address or you would just rather speak to someone in real life, please call the PG Live show team on +44 (0)1635 297070 during office hours.
Top: Prue Leith with two of the designs in the new licensed card range from Ling Design.
