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/