PRESS RELEASE  

7th August 2008 – Immediate Release

WILTSHIRE CHOCOLATIER SHORT LISTED FOR FIRST COUNTRY LIVING AND WAITROSE MADE IN BRITAIN AWARD!

Diana Short of Lick the Spoon from Chippenham has reached the finals of the inaugural Country Living and Waitrose Made in Britain Awards.  One of only 18 businesses from more than 200 food and drink producers that entered the Awards, Lick the Spoon is hoping to be selected as one of the five Made in Britain Food Producers of the Year at the Awards Ceremony on Friday 5th September. 

Each of the selected five Made in Britain Food Producers of the Year will have the chance to see their product on the shelves in local Waitrose branches, have their product on display at the Country Living Christmas Fair 2008 (12 – 16 November) and will also receive £5,000 from Waitrose to develop their business. One of these talented producers will also be named overall Made in Britain Food Champion of the Year and will receive an additional £5,000. In addition, all winners and finalists will be featured in a special booklet, free with the October 2008 issue of Country Living magazine, on sale Monday 15^th September.

Diana Short of Lick the Spoon said “We’re absolutely over the moon about being a finalist and it’s given us the confidence and impetus to carry on.  We’ve only being going for 18 months and to receive an accolade affirming what we’re doing from Waitrose and Country Living is just amazing. I attribute our success to a combination of quality ingredients, original recipes and the wonderful produce of Wiltshire and the West country.”

Two of Lick the Spoon's chocolate selections were viewed by the judges, the “One for Me One for You” selection which was last year's Taste of The West category winner, and it’s new “Wonders of the West” fresh chocolate collection. Diana described the Wonders of the West collection as "encapsulating everything we are passionate about, fresh chocolates without compromise, ingredients from small producers as passionate about their products as we are and recipes inspired by the countryside!"

Graham Cassie, Senior Buyer Local & Regional Sourcing, Waitrose, said “We have a longstanding passion for authentic local and regional foods as we believe their producers are crucial to sustaining rural economies, producing outstanding high quality foods and forming an important part of our nation’s food heritage.  Through our Local and Regional Sourcing Initiative we already have over 1,400 high quality Regional foods stocked in stores near where they are produced.  We are looking forward to seeing the winners from the first Made in Britain Awards sitting proudly on our shelves - giving Waitrose customers the opportunity to discover and savour some of the country’s unique specialities.”

Country Living magazine Food & Drink Editor Shona Crawford Poole, a Made in Britain Awards judge adds, “The high quality of the entries for these inaugural Awards made judging a really exciting process and there was unanimous appreciation for all the products which have reached the final stage.  We’ve tasted some really wonderful food. The endeavour and creativity of so many artisan producers was an inspiration and a sure indication of the health of this sector of the food and drink industry.  We’re delighted that Lick the Spoon has reached the finals and wish Diana the best of luck going forward with her business.”

Country Living’s Made in Britain series, celebrating the cornucopia of good food being produced around the country, appears in the magazine every month.  You can learn more about the Made in Britain campaign and find out who the winners are in the Country Living tent at the Burghley Horse Trials (4 – 7 September).

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For further information, interview requests and images, please contact:

Philippa Taylor, Grand Union PR Ltd, Tel: 01442 824844/07866 480700 philippa@grandunionpr.com

Lick the Spoon website www.lickthespoon.co.uk

 Notes to Editors:

 About the awards:

The Country Living and Waitrose Made in Britain Awards are open to any producer, provided they employ no more than 10 permanent full or part-time employees and have an annual turnover of less than £2 million.

 About Waitrose:

Waitrose has 190 branches across Britain, dedicated to offering quality, value and customer service.  The retailer and its sister company, John Lewis, have taken the two top slots in the Which? Magazine Consumer Satisfaction Survey for the last three years and Waitrose has scooped more major wine awards than any other supermarket. 

 Co-owned entirely by the 69,000 'Partners' who work for the John Lewis Partnership, Waitrose combines the convenience of a supermarket with the expertise and service of a specialist shop. Waitrose is dedicated to offering quality food that has been responsibly sourced, combined with high standards of customer service. (www.waitrose.com)

About Country Living Magazine:

Country Living Magazine is the top-selling country lifestyle magazine and is published by the National Magazine Company. The monthly magazine has a circulation of 195,159, a readership of 850,000 and is edited by Susy Smith.

www.lickthespoon.co.uk