Aunt Bessie replaces mixing bowl figure in brand redesign

Aunt Bessie has introduced a younger, open-armed character across its packaging, replacing the familiar figure shown holding a mixing bowl. The redesign gives the Yorkshire pudding brand a more contemporary look while retaining its name and recognisable character, according to the company. The former illustration showed an older woman stirring a bowl. In the new design, the character has a fresher-faced appearance and welcomes shoppers with open arms; one version also shows her holding a wooden spoon. The change removes the bowl, a longstanding part of the brand’s image. Claire Hoyle, Aunt Bessie’s head of marketing, said the open arms are intended to represent welcoming people to the table, whatever day of the week. She said the character remained the same Aunt Bessie that families know and trust. Those statements describe the company’s intended message; the available reports do not establish how consumers broadly view the redesign or whether it affects trust. The brand says the update reflects changing ways of eating roast dinners, which are no longer limited to Sunday meals.