are these the most amazing chocolate baubles you have ever seen?

Well Ruth's amazing chocolate baubles are the current Most Wanted in the Scotsman Saturday magazine.. and no wonder they are fantastic. The Scotsman call them the most amazing chocolate baubles they have ever seen due to their detail - just too good to eat! Well done Ruth and David - and Well Done too on your gorgeous freshly extended retail shop - minus the stock I bought!!

lots of chocolate tasting on wednesday

The newly extended Cocoa Black shop opens its doors this Wednesday 7th Dec in Peebles - I am looking forward to going down there and seeing the new shop which is much larger now and will be a very effective vehicle and showcase for David and Ruth. Look forward to some sampling too - they are going to be doing Chocolate Afternoon Teas and Ruth will be holding regular demo's too. Shoud be a good one and chance for last minute Christmas shopping too.

CHRISTMAS GIFTS

Well it's great to say that you enjoy what you do and I am certainly enjoying carrying out the PR at the moment for Esmond at Ecooldesigns - it is going very well. It was the one account I really wanted to do because I just loved his products the first time I saw them, especially the large tea light dice, the whole Cool Fire Collection actually - who would have thought that recycled aircraft aluminium could produce such a great result, so sleek and shiny! Esmond gave me a set of the champagne flutes which was very good of him and they have been greatly admired. As I though the media have reacted well to his products and the story behind the firm- he has been on the front page of SOS business section with the folding chair and was in the Spectrum Gift Guide too with the large dice - they pitched it as glam accessory for the man about town, something you would see in a Games Room or something like that which is definitely the case - it's a very unisex product though I think. So we are looking forward to the products apperaing on many of these designs blogs that you see, its an ideal product for this and we are also hoping for a few more Gift Guide mentions before Christmas - Daily Mail next weekend - I really want Esmond to see the benefits of PR and get the items shifted!

confectioners of the year!! Cocoa Black triumph

Yes it was a win for Cocoa Black - they are the Confectioners of the Year! Well Done to them, beating well established firms who have been around for 20 years or so - and its a real coup for a Scottish Company too - putting the Borders on the foodie map again.

Ruth met Richard Madeley who was compering the event and he presented her with her trophy. She deserves it and next stop is the UK Chocolate Masters again.

Plus I can't wait to see their new and extended shop at Cuddy Bridge!

craigsanquhar PR kicks off in style

It hasn't taken very long to attract some of the biggest names in travel journalism to come to my new client Craigsanquhar House and Estate near Cupar in Fife. I know they won't be disappointed... we had Adrian Caffrey from Birmingham Mail here this weekend and coming up soon is Tom Little from the Edinburgh Evening News; Gaby Soutar from the Scotsman and Fiona Leith who is covering the estate for a Do Not Disturb. The Daily Record and Scottish Daily Express are also covering it.

Its a fabulous place and I look forward to making it better known - PR is definitely the way to go!
My thanks to attractions in St Andrews such as the British Golf Museum and the Secret Bunker for agreeing to provide journalists with free tours too - lets show off the Kingdom of Fife!
Exploring Fife is another great organisation who have agreed to partner us and will also assist journalists who wnats to try out some walking and visits to places of interest nearby.

Latest media testimonial for me

I am indebited to Gordon Blackstock from the Sunday Post who has been the latest journalist to say some nice words about me for the testimonial section on my website. He says: "I 've always found Advantage PR an extremely professional busines to deal with. A lot of PR firms fail to grasp what journalists are looking for, the deadlines we may be under and that not all publications are the same. But Advantage PR have always been able to respond to my queries promptly as well as having an in-depth knowledge of what our readers are looking for in a feature." Thanks, Gordon!

more success for cocoa black!!

Congrats to Ruth and David Hinks at Cocoa Black who have been selected as finalists in the Confectioner of the Year Awards as part of the British Bakery Awards. Cocoa Black have been winning so many awards recently that my press releases can hardly keep up.. it wil be a few weeks I think til they find out if this latest accolade is theirs but let's hope so - Ruth's work is absolutely superb and she woud be a very worthy winner - what an honour for the Scottish Borders once again as well as the last winners were from London. Cocoa Black are also going to feature in a new prestigious TV series called Chocolate Unwrapped which will be shown throughout the world!