It’s officially here, the mornings are misty and the nights are drawing in. There’s a subtle shift in the foods we are consuming, from salads and summer dishes, to comforting meals and seasonal slow cooker recipes.

With only 13 Mondays left until Christmas, the countdown is on to get your festive product news and images into the press. The team is feeling very festive indeed. There is talk of planning our Christmas Do and it isn’t unusual to hear a Christmas tune being hummed in the office.

New Clients

We are super excited to be working with The Toll Bridge Bar and Restaurant. Situated in the beautiful medieval town of Sandwich Kent.

The Toll Bridge is a brand new venture which offers a unique cuisine experience.

Located on the banks of the river Stour offering a relaxed & comfortable indoor and outdoor dining experience.

It won’t be a shock to you to hear that we love talking about food, so what better podcast to team up with than The FoodTalk Show.

From October The FoodTalk Show returns to the airwaves and will once again be hosted by the intrepid Sue Nelson. The FoodTalk Show began in 2017 and featured guests such as the founders of famous brands including Green & Black’s, Gousto, Blacksticks Blue, Jimmy’s Iced Coffee and Cawston Press.

Sharp Relations will be working closely with The Food Talk Show to re-establish it on the airwaves.

Watch this space for more information!

We are thrilled to begin work on a short project for Kent craft cider brand Kentish Pip.

This family run business has been growing apples for over a hundred years. Based near Canterbury on Woolton Farm, Kentish Pip combine heritage and innovation to produce an outstanding range of high-quality, artisanal ciders including still, sparkling, limited edition and boxed varieties. They have also just launched Woolton Wines

An aromatic, sweet wine produced using the sweetest grape must recorded in the UK.

The news is finally out there. Biddenden Vineyard has launched a very special limited edition sweet wine Ortega Late Harvest 2018.

Biddenden offically launched the Ortega Late Harvest at WinesGB a few weeks ago. It’s creating quite a stir in the wine world with fabulous feedback from top wine writers and wine connoisseurs.

Have you visited Biddenden for a tour of the vineyard?

Meet The Team

We would like to welcome Isabella to the team as our newest Account Assistant.

Isabella says “I am new to the PR world and excited to learn the ropes. In 2020, I graduated from Kingston University with a BA Hons in Popular Music. I love all things creative including writing music, singing, performing, and painting and hope to bring artistic flair to my work at Sharp Relations.

“I am also passionate about food and spend a lot of my time thinking about my next meal, currently my favourite food includes my brother’s homemade lentil dahl and of course pizza and pasta.”

Change One Thing

This month’s Change One Thing campaign from Produced in Kent featured top tips on how to #LoveFoodHateWaste

Follow these handy tips and help fight food waste going forwards and don’t forget to share your tips online and use the hashtag

1. Plan ahead –To help avoid wasting food, make sure to prepare a shopping list (or even a list of meals for the week!). By buying only what’s needed and cooking the right portions, this helps the planet by reducing food waste and helps control spending.
2. Bring a bag – To avoid adding to the amount of plastic waste, invest in good quality reusable bags like linen or recycled clothes. Take them shopping and keep them in the car or pick a foldaway one that can attach to a keyring.
3. Switch to a reusable water bottle – To avoid contributing to single-use plastic waste, switch to a reusable water bottle – they come in plenty of colours and designs!
4. Buy in bulk – Why not try and reduce the amount of packaging you buy by buying dried goods such as pasta, rice, or lentils in bulk. Macknade in Faversham offers a great packaging-free station. Try going the extra mile and bring jars or linen bags to pack them into!
5. Give your leftovers a second life – You could warm your leftovers up the next day, but you can also freeze them for later. Curries, stews, and other one-pot meals freeze really well and can be kept frozen for up to three months.

Look out for next month’s tips on how to be #VocalAboutLocal!

Are you media ready?

Have you heard? We now offer a Media Training session which offers you, the face behind the brand, a one-to-one session with the face behind Sharp Relations, AJ Sharp! The session will help you to become more confident when talking to the media. It will help you to work out how best to avoid any awkward questions and how to feel ready to speak at length with the press.

AJ says: “Media training is essential if you’re going to be engaging directly with the press. Whether you’ll be recording podcasts, filming for TV or talking part in an interview over the phone with a journalist, you need to know the basics and how to manage those tricky questions. This new one hour session will give you all the tools you need to feel relaxed and ready to handle the media.”

To book a session with AJ click this link

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PR Tips

• Now is the time to approach short lead titles with stories for Sober October and mid leads with all things spooky for Halloween and Bonfire night.
• If you’re launching a gifting hamper or advent calendar, the media want to hear from you NOW! If you’re having trouble with suppliers, don’t worry you’ll still have short lead opportunities in November and December.
• Long leads are busy pulling together Veganuary and Dry January content so make sure you’re prepared and ready to send out any relevant news.
• It might seem crazy to think about Valentine’s Day but we just wanted to plant the seed so that you have plenty of time to begin thinking about any new products or targeted marketing campaigns you might want to get off the ground.

If you’d like to learn more about how PR can help you grow your business, come and talk to us! We love sharing our experience and expertise with businesses looking for help with PR and brand-building, and we’d be delighted to have a coffee and talk through your needs.

Until next time,

Amy x