TV stars tell Boston woman you can count on us

Published Date: 17 December 2008
By Staff Copy
Thursday, 3.45pm - TV STAR Amanda Holden and a host of other famous mums are backing the waste saving innovation of a former Boston woman.
The Britain's Got Talent judge is one of many famous faces endorsing Count On It freshness labels, the brainchild of former Boston High School pupil Lyndsey Young.


The stick-on labels feature scratch-off panels which show when a product was first opened, stored or frozen, helping to avoid unnecessary wastage.


"They are simple to use but so effective. I'm beginning to wonder how I ever managed without them," said Amanda Holden, mother to a two-year-old.


TV actresses and young mums Sarah Parish, Angela Griffin and Jane Wall are also behind the product.


Mrs Young, 40, a mother of two, says she is 'thrilled' to have their support.


"I have a picture of them all holding one of the boxes on my fridge. It's a bit surreal. I'm so used to seeing them on television."


Mrs Young came up with the idea for the labels at the start of this year. Now, at its end, the product is ready to go on sale in Lakeland stores nationwide from January, after being all ready stocked in Boston.


For an economy in recession, it's a defiant success.


"Sales are going really well," said Mrs Young, who now lives in Bottesford, near Grantham. "People are picking up that food prices are still increasing and conscious how much food they are throwing away. I am now getting a lot more interest than at the start of the year."


l Count On It labels will be available in the new Lakeland brochure and online at www.lakeland.co.uk from January. They are also available from www.count-on-it.co.uk and at Johnson's Garden Centre, Wainfleet Road, Boston.



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Last Updated: 18 December 2008 3:41 PM
Source: Boston Standard
Location: Boston

Christmas Grocery Money Saving tips

Each month, the average family throws away £50 of food that was bought but not eaten.  That’s £600 which could have been spent at Christmas or the January sales. But Christmas IS a time for indulgence, and if planned right, we can still spoil ourselves and keep the costs down. Saving money does not mean cutting down on luxuries and fun, if anything, having a well planned, affordable Christmas will make it even more enjoyable.

Save money by getting the portions right - Be realistic about how much you can and will eat on the day - don’t spoil the day with indigestion and wasted food. Rather than a whole turkey, why not a have fresh turkey crown, chicken or duck
If you do get carried away with your preparation and have leftovers - don’t worry, just freeze (if made from fresh) or store them for later - using a Count On It® label of course - these will be especially handy if you have unexpected guests arrive later or for eating on the days following Christmas Day.

Keep it fresh and save yourself time - Don’t spend all your holiday in the kitchen cooking and preparing food- the answer - your freezer. Sausage rolls, mince pies, vegetables and fruit can all be prepared days or even weeks earlier and stored in the freezer, just pop them in a food container or bag, stick on a Count On It® label and they are ready to be cooked if and when you need them - leaving you free to enjoy time with friends and family.

Love your leftovers and save waste - So good, you could eat it all again - well, store it as leftovers and you can. Bubble and squeak, soups, curries are all possible with leftovers and a bit of imagination. Cheeses, chutneys, deli goods are perfect for storing in the fridge, just stick on a Count On It® label and use at a later date to liven up a sandwich or jacket potato.

Count On each other - it’s Christmas. Invite some friends or family over for dinner. It doesn’t have to be a formal affair- just an occasion to enjoy each other’s company. Suggest everyone brings along a dish, that way you keep your grocery bills, cooking and leftovers to a minimum - never mind the washing up.

A Happy Christmas to you all

"Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect."
- Oren Arn

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

With love, Lyndsey

Amanda can Count On It

Christmas leftovers are as much a part of the festive season as the tree and presents. It’s the one time of the year we buy those little food luxuries – chutneys, pickles, sauces – as well as cream, mayonnaise, too much meat, fish, seafood and puddings – our fridges groan with the amount of food we purchase.

In the last 12 months we have all become more aware of the amount of food we waste, and this set against a backdrop of soaring food and energy costs, means people are more determined than ever not to waste good food or throw it in the bin.
Help is at hand. Count On It™ easy to use food freshness labels will tell you at a glance if your food is still fresh and safe to eat.

The stick-on labels display scratch-off panels which show when a product was first opened, stored or frozen. No more guess work needed.

The labels are a godsend for busy, on-the-go mums. And there is no one busier this year in the run up to Christmas than TV star Amanda Holden. Amanda, mum to two-year-old Alexa, will tie the knot in early December and then starts filming the third series of Britain’s Got Talent with Simon Cowell and Piers Morgan.

“I love giving Alexa fresh, wholesome food but a lot of the time I forget when I opened the jar of pasta sauce or carton of fruit juice – these labels are brilliant as reminders,” said Amanda.

Amanda also uses them when batch freezing. “Good nutritious food like fish pies and cottage pies can be made in advance and frozen, and these labels act as a check on when the food was first frozen – they are so simple to use but so effective, I’m beginning to wonder how I ever managed without them”.

Amanda is confident her friends, actresses Sarah Parish and Angela Griffin, also young mums with busy lives, will find them useful. “I’ve already lined up a few boxes for them to try out over Christmas”

Count On It™ will go on sale in Lakeland stores nationwide from January. The product will also be available in the new Lakeland brochure and online at www.lakeland.co.uk. It is also available from www.count-on-it.co.uk

Lakeland’s Barbara Shepherd said: “Count On It™ is one of a number of products we have introduced to help people reduce food wastage. We liked the no nonsense simplicity behind this product and how it can help people save money – foodies, mums and families will love it”.

Count On It™ has also received rave reviews from a number of leading food writers and home economists including Leicestershire-based Teresa Bovey.

As someone who loves food, both preparing and eating, Teresa has found the labels a fantastic aid in the kitchen. “I love them – I use them on everything from sauces and dips to freezing and leftovers – I don’t throw any food away as I’ve got peace of mind that it is still fresh and safe to eat”, Teresa added.

For more ideas on how to get the best out of your Count On It labels visit www.count-on-it.co.uk – the money you save on food could come in very useful

On Air across the Midlands

As part of our continuing promotion of Count On It, it's imminent launch into Lakeland and our celebrity endorsement from Amanda Holden, I was invited to be be a guest on two radio shows in the Midlands this week - the Frances Finn show on BBC Radio Nottingham and the Rupal Rajani show on BBC Radio Leicester.

Frances' focus was from an entrepreneurial angle - how I came up with the idea and how I got it into the market place, whereas Rupal's interview was more informal and gave me the opportunity to further explain how Count On It could help save time, money and food waste. In addition to this I gave some tips on how to get the most out of Christmas, for example preparing food and freezing, reusing leftovers etc.

Both were enjoyable, in different ways and both translated into further online sales. To hear the interviews click on these links

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p001jxcg/The_Morning_Show_01_12_2008/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p001lqk3/Rupal_Rajani_03_12_2008/

Website revamped and relaunched

Count On It's website has now been fully revamp and relaunched ready for Count On It hitting the press and Lakeland's shelves in the new year. Thanks to Gary at Netronyx, the site is slicker and more user friendly and clearly shows the features and versatility of the product. The press campaign is well underway and with our new celebrity endorsement (more about this shortly), we are hopeful that Count On It will go from strength to strength. Feedback on site always welcome.

website revamp

Armed with new photos and we working on updating Count On It's website today. It seems we are potentially losing webviewers at the splash page - we need to grab their attention with product in first few seconds and use powerful messages to persuade potential customers that Count On It is for them. We also need to improve the SEO rating of the site - again we are going to use as many key phrases in the body of the text, to get it further up the search engine lists. Need to simply and inexpensively improve the power of Count On It's website - this is one great big learning curve .....

Count On It to help with the credit crunch!

Count On It is targetting the food and lifestyle press to highlight how these food freshness labels can help people can get the most out of their food, reduce their edible food waste and save them money.

With the percentage of families eating out once or twice a month dropping from 72% to 37% this year, more people are choosing to entertain at home. By buying good quality ingredients, families can enjoy restaurant quality food at a fraction of the cost - but only if they manage their food more effectively.

With up to £610 per year of edible food waste being thrown away by the average family - huge savings can be made if they learn to value their food more. Count On It can help families eat all of their food products, safe in the knowledge it is still fresh and safe to eat, it can be used on leftovers - why not cook a larger portion of food and save the rest for another day - just pop the leftovers in a food container, stick on a Count On It label and then refrigerate or freeze - an instant meal, whenever you need it.

Count On It food freshness labels, will go on sale at Lakeland stores across the country during December 2008 and will be available online and in the famous Lakeland catalogue in January 2009.

For more information about Count On It and how it can help save money, visit www.count-on-it.co.uk

Nurseries, Preschools and Nursing Homes

I have had some interest from Nurseries, Preschools and Nursing homes for Count On It food freshness labels for use in their commercial kitchens. I am in the process of putting together some promotional material for these sectors and would welcome any contacts that may benefit from our product.

Count On It® is an easy-to-use, versatile, scratch-off label which displays freshness at a glance, to help you manage your food inventory more easily and prevent unnecessary food waste. Count On It® can also help reduce food-related illnesses caused by eating food stored beyond it’s best.

Simply peel off a label, stick it onto the food’s packaging, scratch off the day’s date and relax. Count On It® to save you time, money and waste.

Count On It® labels can be used on all types of packaging including glass, cardboard, plastic and metal and come in a handy dispenser designed to sit in the fridge, ready to use. No need for a variety of labels and a pen - just peel, stick, scratch and track.

Count On It®

- removes confusion over opened products’ freshness
- helps manage your food safely
- assists with the rotation of products in the fridge and freezer - first in, first out
- reduces unnecessary waste
- helps maintain a clear system of organization - time reduced selecting products to use
- can be used on food storage tubs and bags
- is fridge and freeze-friendly

For all enquiries, contact me on lyndsey@count-on-it.co.uk

Thanks Lyndsey

Count On It's PR campaign targets baby retail market

Count On It is a food freshness label that ensures mums peace of mind when preparing baby's meals. It tells you at a glance if baby food or milk is still fresh and safe to eat or if it should be thrown away. Simply peel off a label, stick on the food product, scratch off the date of opening or storing and relax.

Count On It's PR campaign is underway and we are targetting mums to be and new mums with our key messages in titles such as Practical Parenting and Pregnancy, Mother & Baby, Pregnancy & Birth and Junior magazine and online parenting forums to name a few.

We are now actively looking for retailers in the baby retail market and would welcome the opportunity to discuss details with you further. I can be contacted at lyndsey@count-on-it.co.uk or via the website http://www.count-on-it.co.uk. I look forward to speaking to you soon.

Food Festival - our first field test

Here I am at the East Midlands Food and Drink Festival ready to meet my public. What a weekend, despite the rain, wind, flooding etc, the event was really busy and we got to meet loads of different people, all with a love of good food. Count On It went well, obviously as a brand new product we had to sell the concept, but we had a great conversion rate - for every 2 people we spoke to, one purchased. We also made some good commercial contacts, small local producers who wanted to put Count On It labels onto their product, to encourage repeat purchasem, nursing home managers who wanted to use it in their kitchens and Pampered Chef, who believed it complimented their product range. For all enquiries, contact me at lyndsey@count-on-it.co.uk.

Joining forums and getting ready for East Midlands Food Festival

Still busy preparing for the www.eastmidlandsfoodfestival.co.uk. Set out objectives, stand all coordinated, powerpoint presentation complete (not without mac to pc issues), exhibition graphics arrived and now just about to source a few more examples of the types of fine food which benefit from Count On It.

Jenny is hot on the PR trial and has said that she'll be directing ITV and BBC regional news to my stand, as well as the local and regional press. Need to make sure I have 'soundbites' else at hand, to make sure message is clear and succinct at all times.

Joined new forum today, www.mumsclub.co.uk a site for mums in business. This is the site that directed people to ITV's This Morning Mumpreneur competition. Bit annoyed missed out on this, I really think Count On It would have stood a great chance - never mind, will push on solo and am really optimistic that I'll get there soon.

Photo shoot - Count On It get's the professional touch

Spent the day with photographer, John Hancock, taking photos of Count On It labels being used on a variety of products. Got some really nice shots, staged with fresh fruit, herbs, bread etc - all shot on Jenny's (PR lady's) black granite kitchen worktop. The photos are to be used in the press releases that Jenny is compiling and will be sent to all the regional press to let people know that Count On It is going to be at the East Midlands Food Festival. She has also been in touch with some consumer magazines to spread the news that Count On It is going to be launched in Lakeland in the New Year - so hopefully with the professional shots accompanying her releases, we will get some exposure - can't wait. Feels like the quite before the storm!

Lakeland - its official

Count On It food freshness labels, are to be on sale nationwide, online and in their Kitchen Ideas catalogue from January 2009. With such a great platform, the PR campaign is being developed to ensure that as many lifestyle and parenting press get to know all about Count On It and how it can help save food, time, waste and most importantly in our current climate - money. We are also taking a stand at the East Midlands Food and Drink festival on 4th and 5th October at Brooksby Hall, Melton Mowbray to ensure we keep up the local profile and benefit from the promotion from Teresa Bovey, local home economist, who is presenting at the event. October should be a busy time and I can't wait.

Lakeland - Count On It on shelves in January 2009

James Martin side by side with Count On It

Count On It is going to be sharing a stage with James Martin at the Springfields Cookery Weekend at Spalding and also with Clarissa Dickson Wright at the East Midlands Food and Drink Festival courtesy of local home economist Teresa Bovey who has so kindly offered to demonstrate Count On It as part of her cookery demonstration. This is great news for Count On It as it gets showcased by someone who is well known for bringing innovative products to the publics attention and also gets directly in front of the people who are interested in food and cooking. Next stop Good Food show.

Major retailer and other stuff

Great news, the major retailer wants to stock Count On It, in their 2009 catalogue and across their stores nationwide. This is such a great result. Started to contact other smaller, local retailers to get there interest - they seem a little reluctant at the moment, I need to make sure I swot up on how to close a sale (this is such a massive learning curve). Getting some renewed interest from Local Government too, several of them are hoping to do roadshows around their counties to encourage consumers to be more waste aware, especially when they are shopping at their local supermarket. They are proposing handing out samples of Count On It for customers to use with their weekly shop - this is such a great idea, Count On It wins, the consumer wins as they save food and money and the supermarkets win as customers are more likely to eat their products in their prime and repurchase, the supermarkets will also benefit as they will be showing their committment to reducing unnecessary food and packaging waste and the impact it has on their environment and on their customers pockets - and obviously Local Govt wins, less waste, less bin collection, less landfill, reduce costs in waste disposal.

Great news...

Just had call from major retailer who is expressing an interest in Count On It. If we get this one, Count On It will go nationwide... what a scoop! Keeping fingers and toes crossed...

Ignorance is bliss?

Food waste is a huge problem, we all know it is because we are all constantly being encouraged to recycle, compost, use leftovers, meal plan, all sorts - but why do we all think it is someone else's problem? WRAP statistics claim that 9 out of 10 people are adamant that they do NOT waste food, yet these very same households are throwing away nearly 90KG of avoidable food waste each year. Wasting food does not mean you are a bad person, it just means that you have got used to decades of affordable food, but this is changing, food IS getting more expensive, so most of us will have to wake up and smell the coffee. Value food more and save some money in the meantime - oh and don't forget your Count On It labels to help you achieve all this!

Lots of emails!

Very busy emailing contacts made over weekend - hoping something soon will get the ball rolling. I've cast so many nets out, surely it's just a matter of time for that big bite!

Joanna Yarrow and John Craven

Had a great day today at the BBC Good Food exhibition, there were some fantastic exhibitions and wonderful things to sample! The best, however, was getting the chance to meet and listen to Joanna Yarrow, Environmental broadcaster, author and consultant and John Craven of Countryfile (or Newsround and Swapshop as I fondly remember). They had a whole host of ideas of ways to live a greener lifestyle and I was so pleased that at the end of their presentation, I was able to briefly chat with them and tell them about Count On It. I gave them both samples to try and hopefully may get some feedback from them in the future.

BBC Good Food show - Sustainable living exhibition

BBC Good Food show

Going to the BBC Good Food Show at NEC today. Should be good, all the usual suspects are there, Gordon Ramsey, James Martin. I am hoping I will track down some influential types there for Count On It. I would hope WRAP are there, if so, I will drop some more samples off with them. Here goes

Local Authorities showing an interest

Started to get some genuine interest now from Local Authorities. I am so pleased, to me it is an obvious solution, too much edible food waste, high prices to sort and dispose and even higher price being paid by the environment - Count On It can make a difference - even it is just scratching the surface (good PR link in here I think!).

Women mean business

Going to the Women mean business seminar in Leicestershire tomorrow, with a couple of other mumpreneurs. Hopefully will be a good chance to meet up with other women in similar situations and also to spread the word about Count On It. There will be speakers and a Dragon's Den kind of set up, for franchisers to pitch to an audience of potential franchisees - should be fun - although not overly appropriate for me. Anyway, good to get amongst it all - should be interesting.

BBC Radio Lincolnshire interview - got it all in

I am enjoying this. Been on the morning show on Radio Lincolnshire with Judy Theobald today. She was very interested in Count On It and I had about a 30 minute interview and managed to get www.count-on-it.co.uk in several times. Again I offered the first 20 listeners free samples, producer said afterwards that they don't normally do that, but told me not to worry, seems strange that BBC Radio Leicester are quite happy with that, but not Lincolnshire - makes you wonder who is up to date with the current BBC policy. Anyway, all in all a successful second live interview - I am really going to try and get some more of these arranged, the hits on the websites certainly peak during and after the interviews.

BBC Radio Interview - a success

Well my first venture onto live broadcasting went really well. I got a good response from the interview, quite a few hits on the website and also sent out samples to the first 20 people who contacted me via the website. Radio Leicester want to put Count On It labels in their Community Service Volunteer packs, a promotion they run that encourages the community to recycle amongst other things. They've already got shopping bags for life etc, so Count On It will fit in perfectly.

Interview at BBC Radio Lincolnshire tomorrow, hopefully this will be as successful - need to keep on spread the word. Next - recruit more word of mums (or moms as they say in USA).

BBC Radio Lincolnshire

Just had a call from BBC Radio Lincolnshire, they want me on their morning show on Wednesday. Will post how it went later ... Hopefully will get an audio clip for my website www.count-on-it.co.uk

On air - Radio Leicester interview

Having my first radio interview tomorrow. On the lunchtime show of Radio Leicester (small steps in the right direction!). I am really looking forward to it, but apprehensive about how it will go. I've got my notes, general stats about how much food is wasted in the UK etc - it really does make great listening. Hopefully I will get plenty of opportunities to mention www.count-on-it.co.uk. I am also going to offer the first 20 people to email me, via the website free samples - to generate more visits to my site and also another opportunity to get a wider range of people sampling Count On It food freshness labels. Here goes....

Count On It - a mumpreneurs story

Here I am, day one of what I hope will be a general insight into my life as a mother and a self-employed businesss women. My aim is to chat about what I am experiencing as a mumpreneur and hope that along the way I will be able to share some of the tips and advice that business associates and friends have offered to me. I will also be recounting the daily progress of www.count-on-it.co.uk and also how I juggle my business life with the challenges of bringing up two boys under 5.