North East business teams with social media star to fight housing injustice this Christmas

Primula, the UK’s favourite squeezy cheese brand, is set to donate a portion of its Christmas profits to charity as part of its latest campaign with social media star Poppy Cooks.

The campaign will see £10,000 go to UK-based homelessness charity Shelter’s ‘Recipe for Change’ initiative, a cooking fundraiser that asks people to come together with their friends and family this December, enjoy food and learn more about the housing emergency.

Poppy’s request to support Shelter comes as part of a wider partnership between Primula and Poppy Cooks. In a bid to deliver an easy squeezy Christmas for all, Poppy has created a series of time saving and budget-friendly recipes that are alternatives to labour-intensive festive classics and expensive products available off the shelves.

Speaking about the collaboration, Poppy O’Toole (aka Poppy Cooks) commented: “I am so proud to say as part of this partnership, Primula offered to donate £10k to a charity of my choice, so I picked homelessness charity Shelter.

“I have always been passionate about Shelter and their amazing mission to solve the homelessness issue in the UK. Around this time of year, I think it’s especially important to appreciate family and the safety of a home. I want to do my bit to raise awareness and funds to go towards putting more roofs over more heads this Christmas.”

When asked why Poppy had teamed up with Primula Cheese she added: “Well firstly, I love it. And fun fact, my mom also loves it and has always said she’d use it as toothpaste – it tastes so good!”

After finding herself on furlough during the pandemic, Poppy channelled her food-loving energy into social media. Her easy but insanely good food helped her amass over 2m followers on TikTok and Instagram, as well as publishing her own cookbook, The Food You Need.

Using her expertise and signature social media style, Poppy has created two delicious cheesy recipes using Primula Cheese that are set to become a staple of every household this Christmas.

Poppy will be launching her recipe dupes across Instagram and TikTok this December, featuring Christmas canapes that don’t break the bank in her version of cheesy choux buns and simple but delicious mini loaded potatoes.

Poppy added: “Christmas truly is one of the most indulgent food moments in the calendar – but delicious festive dishes shouldn’t be out of reach for anyone, and it shouldn’t have to take you hours to make something to seriously impress guests either! So, I was very excited to be asked to get creative and come up with a couple of dupes for Christmas classics with Primula as the secret helper to get delicious cheesy recipes on the menu that won’t break the bank.”

Paul Lewney, Managing Director at Kavli UK, owners of Primula, commented on the collaboration: “Last Christmas was very challenging due to the restrictions that were in place and we’re all now eager to get together with our loved ones and enjoy the festive food that will be available. However, we must also take time to remember that there are many people in difficult situations that may not be able to participate in festivities in the same way.

“That’s why we are delighted to be partnering up with TikTok star Poppy O’Toole this Christmas, to help the nation make this year’s ultimate Christmas treats easily, and on a budget.

“All of Primula’s profits go to good causes across the UK and around the world, and this Christmas, Shelter will be among the major recipients thanks to our collaboration with Poppy. We’re proud to be supporting Shelter and its fight against housing injustice through the campaign.

For more information about Primula, it’s charitable donations and its collaboration with Poppy Cooks head to: https://primula.co.uk/recipes/