Monthly Archive for May, 2007

Softleys Restaurant

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Softleys RestaurantLocated in the historic Grade II listed building in the heart of Market Bosworth, Softleys offers superior service and cuisine set w i t h i n comfortable atmospheric art deco influenced surroundings. Be it business, romance or any special occasion you will always find a warm welcome.

Using only the freshest and seasonal ingredients, menu offerings include: Scallops stuffed with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Mozzarella Cheese, bound with Basil Leaves and Bacon, served with a Sweet Red Chilli Sauce; Roast Quail served upon a Beetroot Hazelnut and Garlic Crisp tossed Salad Leaves with a Lemon Mustard Hazelnut Oil Dressing; Oven Roasted Duck Breast in Red Wine Balsamic Vinegar and Blackberries served upon Honey Roast Parsnips all accompanied by a selection of Seasonal Vegetables and Potatoes. All food is cooked to order with a selection of fresh fish delivered daily.

There is a function room that seats 28, or if you are looking for a relaxing weekend away in a comfortable but stylish room with ensuite facilities, then Softleys offers the perfect location.

Restaurant Opening Hours: Lunch - Tuesday to Saturday 12.00 noon - last orders 1.45pm Dinner - Monday to Saturday 7.00pm - last orders 9.45pm Closed on Sundays.

Market Place, Market Bosworth Nuneaton
Tel: 01455 290464
website: www.softleys.com
Email: softleysrestaurant@tiscali.co.uk

Simla peppers India and beyond

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Simla peppersSimla Peppers brings an air of sophistication and a fine dining experience to Market Bosworth. The restaurant has been totally revamped giving a contemporary, light, airy and friendly ambience.

Beautifully presented, the food brings a fusion of classic Indian cuisine combined with an exotic influence and new twists which makes a unique blend of flavours.

With dishes such as Jhinga Nurali - large jumbo size king prawn, marinated in ginger, garlic and various spices, then grilled, simmered in a king prawn stock sauce to give a subtle slightly hot taste of flavour; Chicken Mince Rolls - spicy lamb mince, infused in whole breast of chicken, served on basmati rice and accompanied with sweet and sour sauce; Murgi Nurpuri - whole breast of chicken stuffed with mince of lamb, cheese, mushroom, onions and tarragon, baked in the oven and then simmered in a unique mace flavoured sauce and an extensive excellent wine list, its easy to see that this restaurant is a must for those who love good food and great wine.

9a Market Street, Market Bosworth, Warwickshire Tel: 01455 293 311
www.simlapeppers.co.uk

Rockingham Castle

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Rockingham CastleFields of Conflict Conference Delegates A Royal Castle for 450 years and 450 years a family home

Award winning Rockingham Castles’ drawbridge is lowered for the 2007 season on Easter Sunday. Over the last four years the Castle has been nominated for and won four major awards for excellence, the most recent being the Silver Award for Best National Small Visitor Attraction. The consequence of which there has been a significant increase in profile and in turn visitor numbers have been on the rise. The popularity of the only Castle in Northamptonshire which has for 450 years been inhabited by the same family, is undiminished.

The open season gets off to a great start with “The Great Rockingham Dinosaur Hunt” on Easter Sunday and Monday (8th & 9th April), this combined with an egg hunt and a family quiz makes for a great day out.

With the events in the castle grounds proving to be so popular, this year sees the introduction of a Falconry and Owl day (1st July). These beautiful birds will be flying over the beautiful Welland Valley below the Castle as they have done so for 100’s of years.

The Castle gardens have undergone transformation over the winter months. The new garden has been created around the Rose Garden on the site of the medieval mote & keep. A series of new radial yew hedges provide opportunities for vistas, walkways and seating within a series of garden ‘rooms’ that will contain deep borders of stunning herbaceous and shrub planting, each room being given a different character. The ‘rooms’ are being planted in two phases with advice from Lincolnshire plantsman Tim Rassell.

The Park events which began just two years ago, go from strength to strength. The year starts with the Call to Arms History Fair (5th – 7th May) over the Bank Holiday weekend featuring re-enactors from every period of history from Romans through to the early 20th century. There are two Antiques weekends (18th – 20th May & 20th – 22nd July), a Steam & Country Show (11th – 12th August) as well as a Food & Craft Fair (29th – 30th September).

The year is rounded off with our Christmas week (19th – 23rd November) which has caught the imagination of our visitors. The Castle, beautifully decorated for Christmas, with the guides in period costume telling the story of the preparations which took place on Christmas Eve 1895 sets the scene for the beginning of the Christmas season. Operations Manager, Andrew Norman said, “We have had such astonishing success in recent years, generated in particular with the variety of events that we have been putting on both at the Castle and in the Park. In addition we have strived to ensure that our visitors are made to feel welcome and their experience of Rockingham has exceeded their expectations. As long as we continue to do this we will attract visitors not just once but, we hope, again and again”.

Further information about visiting the Castle and the events taking place please telephone 01536 770240 or visit the website at www.rockinghamcastle.com

Uncanny Tales exhibition

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Uncanny TalesRugby Art Gallery recently exhibited Uncanny Tales an exhibition of four internationally recognised London based artists, Paula Rego, Ana Maria Pacheco, Marcelle Hanselaar and Oona Grimes.

This is the first time these artists have been shown together and although each of them has a distinct and personal way of telling tales, they share a passion for expressing the savage, erotic or subconscious aspects of life. Their work brings together fluent drawing skills, subtle use of colour and technical expertise within the print process.

Drawing on sources as diverse as Hogarth and Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Portuguese born artist, Paula Rego shows etchings from the Nursery Rhyme series and the Pendle Witches series as well as lithographs from he recently acclaimed Jane Eyre Portfolio. Brazilian born Ana Maria Pacheco shows dry points, which reflect her concern with the dark side of Catholicism, offering a unique retelling of Old Testament stories and her own interpretation of legend. Marcelle Hanselaar’s concern with childhood and sexuality shows nothing yet suggests everything, her paintings and prints reminiscent of German Expressionism in their power to disturb. Oona Grimes brings a touch of lightness with her dismembered cartoon like figures cavorting through childhood as well as her delicate evocations of floating matter in her How Clever of God series.

Uncanny TalesUncanny Tales was a fascinating and thought provoking exhibition of four of the strongest figurative artists working in the UK today. Paula Rego and Ana Maria Pacheco have both been Artists in Residence at the National Gallery in London and all four artists have shown extensively in the UK and internationally.

A touring exhibition from the Foundation for Women’s Art, a charity that aims to increase public knowledge and understanding of the work of women artists, both historic and contemporary. FWA is committed to access and diversity in its programme of exhibitions and events, educational and community activities, research and publications. For further information log on to www.fwa-uk.org.

Uncanny Tales is continuing on to Babylon Art Gallery, Ely from January 6th - February 11th 2007. For further information please contact Rugby Art Gallery and Museum on (01788) 533201.

Filmmaker Jia Zhangke on the forgotten people of Three Gorges

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FilmmakerDirector Jia Zhangke, a leading figure in what is known as China’s Sixth Generation of filmmakers, won the prestigious Golden Lion prize at the recent Venice Film Festival with his movie Still Life, shot in the Three Gorges area.

Journalist Dai Qing describes Jia as “one of the best directors working in China today who are both talented and care about ordinary people.”

“Jia’s powerful films have struck a chord with Chinese audiences,” she said. “It’s wonderful that the judges in Venice, thousands of miles away from the Three Gorges area, have demonstrated a great understanding of China in recognizing his work.”

Jia Zhangke spoke with Three Gorges Probe while in Toronto last month to attend the Toronto International Film Festival. (The interview was conducted in Mandarin. Translation by Three Gorges Probe.) — Kelly Haggart For more information about Still Life, which is to be released in North America next year, Log onto:

www.threegorgesprobe.org

A new way to buy Art and Paintings online

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Why visit endless art galleries in the hope of finding something to match your new decor? Four Blank Wall s has created the perfect website where you can buy original art online that matches your decor Choose from hundreds of original paintings that can be changed to suit your colour scheme at no extra cost. If you are looking for something different then have one of their images printed onto canvas or perspex mounts . Services also include printing your photos on to canvas or perspex with a free design service Prices start at £50.00 and delivery is usually within 7 days.

For further information log on to www.fourblankwalls.co.uk

Vanilla Art Gallery and Consultancy bringing Art to your Home and Business

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Vanilla Art GalleryIn the latter part of 2004 Louise McHale realised she preferred living in Leicester, so she abandoned London and set up Vanilla Art Gallery and Consultancy.Louise first came to Leicester in 2000 to study for an MA in Museum Studies. She had previously graduated from University College Dublin with a degree in History of Art and Spanish, and having worked for the National Museum of Ireland decided this would be the best way to progress her career. On completing her MA dissertation she worked at the National Portrait Gallery before realising that the commercial art market was where she would rather be. This resulted in a spell at the Kings Road Gallery, London before returning to Leicester to work at Heathcote Ball Fine Art and Antique auction house.

She remained there until it sadly had to close after the death of founder John Ball. At this point she returned to work in London with Broadbent, a contemporary art gallery in Notting Hill specialising in the work of mid-career abstract artists. The gallery aims to display art by local and national artists in a friendly and approachable environment, catering to the art connoisseur and novice alike. Exhibitions change roughly every six weeks, bringing you the best selection from the contemporary art market. Buying art can be a big decision and Louise tries to make the process as easy as possible. There is the opportunity to view paintings in your own home before you buy.

A gift list service is available, whereby friends and family can purchase the perfect present for a special occasion. Art not only makes your home a more attractive place, but can also improve the appearance of the workplace, making it more appealing to both employees and clients. Louise will work closely with you to help select exactly the right style of art to complement your corporate image. It is also possible to arrange rental of artworks if you wish to update the appearance of your office or front of house area on a regular basis. During the year there is a busy exhibition schedule at the Gallery which is listed on page 149

or for further information log on to www.vanillaart.co.uk
54 Highcross Street Leicester
Tel: 0116 251 3568
Email: info@vanillaart.co.uk

Morning Sickness: It’s All To Do With A Bad Diet

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Morning SicknessMorning sickness seems to come with the territory for some women in the first few months of pregnancy. However, scientists now reckon they know the reason. It could all be down to the woman’s diet – it’s the body’s way of protecting the fetus from a ‘bad’ diet. A woman who eats healthily is more likely to sail through the first few months of pregnancy without any of the unpleasant symptoms of morning sickness, unlike the woman whose diet is predominantly made up of processed and fast foods.

A research study has discovered that women are far more likely to suffer if they eat large quantities of sugars, sweeteners, and fried foods. Researchers analysed 56 studies on morning sickness, collated from 21 countries, and found a link with diets that were high in sugars, sweeteners and oil crops used in frying foods. Other suspect foods include large amounts of meat, and stimulants such as coffee and alcohol. Conversely, cereals and pulses reduced the risk of morning sickness.