Help print the cereal-box edition of 1980's Scottish Highland story Porridge for Tea to generate funds for Lochaber Foodbank.
by Katie Carmichael in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, United Kingdom
Our cereal boxes just need a little bit of investment to print, make and ship - but extra funding will kickstart some much needed donations for Lochaber Foodbank.
The foodbank is run by local people for local people – they rely on support to continue to stop people going hungry. By supporting our cereal box project, you invest in the future of Lochaber Foodbank and help them provide much-needed support to people in crisis.
When I procrastinated designing a story-book version of one of my brother’s short stories for his birthday, the fast-approaching deadline forced me to think inside the (cereal) box.
The result was 'Porridge for Tea' turned into a fully illustrated, foldable 1980s-style cereal box, packed with family nostalgia, heartfelt writing, and a dollop of porridge-themed design.
Now, we'd love to share it more widely as a unique story format, and raise funds for charity along the way.
In 2017, Duncan's short story Porridge for Tea was selected by the Scottish Book Trust for their annual short story competition. The theme was Nourish, and Duncan’s piece - a touching reflection on a childhood summer spent with our gran in Fort William - captured hearts across Scotland.
To us as a family, though, it’s more than just a short story. It’s a beautifully written tribute to our grandmother; full of warmth, nostalgia, and the quiet magic of summer mornings and bowls of porridge shared in a sunlit Highland kitchen. It evokes a time when the world just felt a bit more safe and innocent.
I’ve always wanted to turn Duncan’s story into something tangible - something that could be picked up, held, and cherished. I envisioned a book, but life (and procrastination) kept getting in the way.
So, with just three weeks before his birthday, I had an idea: what if the story was the cereal box?
The box is a fully foldable flat-packed print, modelled on cereal packaging from the era. Inside (or rather, on) it, you’ll find Duncan’s story, reimagined in a visual language inspired by the cereal packaging of the era.
Read more about the design process on my website.
I want to bring this project beyond just our family – to anyone who grew up in Scotland, visited the Highlands, anyone who’s ever missed their gran, and anyone who thinks stories should be brought to life in vivid ways.
This project is particularly important to us as we see it as a way to raise money for Lochaber Foodbank as a way to honour our gran and her highland home - as well as to spread some love, kindness and nourishment.
Your support will help cover:
I'm a graphic designer working mainly with start ups and social-good projects. I relish a design brief that calls for innovative solutions and have designed lots of creative publications. I'm at my happiest getting to work with archive material and collaborate with other creatives to tell stories. Porridge for Tea is the perfect overlap of of my creative passions and I'm so excited to release it into the wild and see what change it can affect.
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