For 18 months, my task was to put The Lawns, the fine dining restaurant at Thornton Hall Hotel & Spa, on the map.  In particular, I was asked to raise the profile of new executive chef Matt Worswick and, in the client’s words, ‘create a media frenzy’.

Having worked with Matt in his previous job, I’d already secured him a place on BBC 2’s much-loved Great British Menu – a national TV debut that would catapult him into the hearts and minds of the nation’s food lovers.  My job now was to leverage and own that exposure for his new employer – Thornton Hall Hotel & Spa.

A sustained campaign of reviews (from local and regional media and national food and lifestyle bloggers) made for a concentrated push of activity, highlighting Thornton’s Hall’s inimitable hospitality and facilities and Matt’s impressive pairing of big, bold flavours. 

A busy programme of media relations activity was supplemented with Matt making ‘demo’ appearances at the Chester Food & Drink Festival, North West Food Lovers Festival, and Southport Flower Show, as well as a regular slot on BBC Radio Merseyside’s paper review. By raising his profile and that of The Lawns, Plume secured Matt the position of chef ambassador at marketing body Taste Cheshire,  a link with We Love Cheshire and inclusion on the Great British Chefs website. High-profile interviews were also organised with Bitten and Samphire, among others.

A robust and intensive PR programme helped position Matt as ‘the one to watch’ in the North West food scene and put The Lawns on the map.

Matt’s debut on the Great British Menu was supported by an exclusive tasting session and photo shoot for the local WI, which provided excellent coverage for local and regional press. In addition, a top-secret tasting lunch was organised for a select handful of bloggers and journalists. Matt even visited BBC Radio Merseyside so the morning presenters could taste his dishes live on air.  Plus, there was lots of social media activity to drum up regional support for his TV debut and the launch of his new limited-time-only GBM tasting menu at The Lawns.

Matt left The Lawns and Thornton Hall Hotel & Spa in 2016 to become the head chef at Pennyhill Park in Surrey. He is now the executive chef at The Cliff in Barbados.

“Helen delivered some game-changing opportunities for The Lawns and myself and took a very targeted approach. Everything she achieved was carefully executed. She is a no-nonsense PR, great fun to work with and very interested in all things food, which made for a great working relationship. I can’t recommend her highly enough.”

Matt Worswick, Head chef, Penny Hill Park and former Executive Chef at Thornton Hall Hotel & Spa