St Helens feature part 4.....St Helens College & Colours Restaurant.....

St Helens College is one of the largest further education colleges in the North West of England and there has never been a more exciting time to study there. They have recently completed the first full academic year in the new £57 million Town Centre Campus. The new state-of-the art building provides students with the best possible learning environment to succeed and also the facilities and resources available will provide you with everything you need to develop your skills and knowledge for the future.

St Helens College currently has over 7,500 students of all ages, studying on courses from Entry Level through to Degree Programmes and Professional Qualifications. They attract students from across the North West and work with over 3,500 employers, helping the economy to thrive and develop.

Whether you're seeking employment, a promotion at work, a change of career, progression to university or you just want a new challenge, there are a wide range of courses available to suit your needs. They offer full and part time vocational courses from Animal Care and Construction to Catering and Sport along with a vast number of Apprenticeships and Adult Apprenticeships. They provide progression routes into higher education and offer over 50 Higher and Professional programmes and work in partnership with 6 major universities. They also offer courses for industry and courses for leisure.

One of the jewels in the crown of the college is.....

Colours Restaurant - 

Colours is an innovative fine dining restaurant in St. Helens with a modern contemporary theme, it certainly stands out from the crowd.

Take a look along Waterloo Street and you can't miss the impressive frontage and glazed entrance. Step inside and you'll receive a warm welcome by friendly staff behind the stylish reception counter, take in the striking bar and comfortable lounge area, with its beech wooden floor and colourful bold décor.

Have a seat and enjoy a leisurely drink before you eat, or if time's short you can be seated directly in the vibrant dining area and relax in the ambience that's been created. The quality furnishings, stylish crockery, and eye catching abstract artwork keep your interest whilst you savour the menu.

Menus

Here's some liinks to give you an indication of the type of menu, quality and choice of dishes that they offer.

Lunch Menu	Function Menu
Evening Menu	Buffet Menu
Saturday Evening Menu	Wedding Packages
Childrens Menu

They change the menus every term and all dishes are freshly prepared from quality ingredients. Wherever possible they try their best to source produce from local suppliers.

If you have a food allergy or special dietary requirements of any description, which may affect your choice of dish when dining with them, just advise the restaurant staff when ordering and they'll be more than pleased to accommodate your needs.

Christmas With Colours

Here's their Christmas menus for 2012.....just click on the links.....


Christmas Evening Menu Monday-Thursday 
Christmas Evening Menu Friday & Saturday 
Christmas Lunchtime Menu

With no price increase from last year they're once again offering unbeatable value for money and looking forward to welcoming you.

• Lunch £16.95 - 3 courses and coffee
• Dinner Mon-Tue- Wed-Thu £21.95 - 3 courses and coffee
• Dinner Fri-Sat - £25.95 – 4 courses and coffee

A deposit of £10.00 per person for all bookings is required by Friday 30th of November

Payment forms:

By phone with a debit or credit card
Cheque made payable to St Helens College
Cash: at desk only.

Please note: deposits are non-refundable

Dates for Christmas Meals

December 2012

Tuesday 4th Wednesday 5th Thursday 6th Friday 7th Saturday 8th Sunday 9th Monday 10th Tuesday 11th Wednesday 12th Thursday 13th Friday 14th Saturday 15th Sunday 16th

Lunch Lunch & Dinner Lunch & Dinner Lunch & Dinner Dinner Lunch Lunch & Dinner Lunch & Dinner Lunch & Dinner Lunch & Dinner Lunch & Dinner Dinner Lunch

Lunch served from 12.00 till 1.00pm last orders - Mon - Fri 
12.00 - 2.00 - Sun

Dinner served from 6.30 till 8.00pm last orders Mon-Thu 
6.30 - 8.30 - Fri 
6.30 - 9.00 - Sat

The indicated last order times are not the times by which they expect you to vacate the premises. They're far to friendly and look forward to your company so there's no set time for that.  Book early to avoid disappointment. Call them on 01744 623155 or..... 

E-mail: colours@sthelens.ac.uk

One-pot Moroccan Chicken.....no tagine required

Ok those fancy Moroccan tagines may look great but they're expensive and easy to break, which when you're a Jack Russell would be often.....so I've come up with this delicious, quick and easy to cook one-pot Moroccan Chicken Casserole  that's not only tasty and filling it's nutritious and inexpensive to make as it'll serve six.  Just chuck it in a casserole dish and top with feta, fresh mint and lemon for a fragrant taste of North Africa.....

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions , 1 roughly chopped, 1 sliced
• 100g tomatoes
• 100g ginger , roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp each ground cumin , coriander and cinnamon
• 1 large butternut squash , deseeded and cut into big chunks
• 600ml chicken stock
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 100g dried cherries

• 
  
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• To serve
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• 1 small red onion , finely chopped
• zest 1 lemon
• handful mint leaves
• 100g feta cheese , crumbled
• couscous and natural yogurt

Season the chicken. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a flameproof dish, then brown the chicken 
on all sides.

Remove the chicken to a plate. 

Whizz the chopped onion, tomatoes, ginger and garlic into a rough paste. 

Fry the sliced onion in the remaining oil in the dish until softened, then add the spices and fry for 1 min more until fragrant.

Add the paste and fry for another few mins to soften.

Return the chicken to the dish with the squash, stock, sugar and vinegar. 

Bring to a simmer, then cook for 30 mins until the chicken is cooked through. 

Lift the chicken out and stir in the cherries, then continue simmering the sauce to thicken while you shred the chicken into bite-sized chunks. 

Stir the chicken back into the sauce and season.

Mix the red onion, lemon zest, mint and feta. 

Scatter over the dish, then serve with some couscous and yogurt.

St Helens Feature Part 3.....Christmas Special

Christmas in St Helens Town Centre.....

Time to celebrate Christmas with a dazzling programme of entertainment!

St Helens Council is promising a Christmas to remember - as the countdown to the season of goodwill gathers pace.

The Council is again throwing its weight behind the Town Centre economy with a full, festive line-up that promises to deliver a range of seasonal goodies for young and old alike with music, fun and traditional fayre served up for everyone to enjoy.

The full festive line-up includes..... 




Christmas Craft Fayre
Tuesday 6th - Saturday 10th November
Over 30 stalls selling a fabulous range of craft items. Perfect for getting those early Christmas gifts with a difference.

Bradley Johnson

Christmas Lights Switch On (supported by Merseytravel)
Saturday 17th November

The Loveable Rogues

Come and celebrate the launch of the new, magical Christmas lights - some of the most spectacular in the region. St Helens promises a fabulous evening of free music and entertainment. The Loveable Rogues, The Mend and the Lancashire Hotpots will generate lots of excitement as they prepare to light up the Town Centre.   Hot of the press is that Rainford's own Bradley Johnson will be joining in the fun! Don't miss the fantastic light and fireworks special effects show. To complete this Christmas extravaganza there will be a host of other well-known performers, music, pantomime acts and family fun.

The Mend

Postman Pat's Children's Mini Shows

Saturday 24th November
Popular Cbeebies characters, Postman Pat, Jess and Ben bound into town - bringing their own brand of entertainment in four shows throughout the day - all with free admission and based in Parish Church. Tickets are available by calling 01744 675492.


Festive Street Day
Saturday 1st December
Festive entertainment with a hint of humour. Come and see our joy-riding reindeers and dancing Christmas puddings plus much, much more!




Christmas Train
Saturday 8th December
All aboard the Santa Express! Festive train ride around the town centre, with various pick-up and drop-off points.


Real Reindeer & Santa Visit
Saturday 15th December
Santa arrives in St.Helens, along with his real reindeer and accompanied by his Christmas elves. Make sure Santa gets your letter by giving it to him yourself.

Christmas Band
Saturday 22nd December
A festive treat of traditional music around the Christmas tree.

Late Night Shopping
Late night Christmas shopping in St.Helens Town Centre makes it easier to browse for longer, and perhaps pick up a few goodies for yourself along the way! There are a number of shopping offers available, so there's always the chance to picking up a bargain.

Late night shopping - every Thursday from the 22nd November and between Monday 17th - Friday 21st December. Sunday trading will start from Sunday 25th November (10.00am - 4.00pm).





Car Parking
All town centre car parks (except the Millennium Centre car park) will be free on the five Saturday's before Christmas - November 24th, 1st, 8th, 15th & 22nd December. In addition, all car parks will be open late during the run-up to Christmas. Closure times may vary throughout the Christmas Shopping period. Please check signage on car parks for details of closing times.


The Christmas offers complement the council's popular 'free after three' scheme, which allows motorists who arrive after 3pm on Birchley Street, Chalon Way and St.Mary's car parks to use the car parks free of charge.


Public Transport
For public transport information visit www.merseytravel.gov.uk to plan your trip or call Traveline on 0871 200 22 33.

St Helens Feature Part 2.....World of Glass

You might not think that glass, one the products of St Helen's biggest employers would attract a lot of attention, but it's actually responsible for the town's major visitor attraction The World Of Glass.  Popular with coach trips and locals it's a £14 million Pilkington PLC and Heritage Lottery funded urban regeneration project.  You can see live demonstrations or even try your hand at blowing a glass bauble at one of their glassblowing courses.  They've an amazing special effects film show and if history is your thing they've two galleries that give you an insight into Victorian life.

You can re-live St Helens past and find out what life was like in the town in the last century, or there's Glass & Glamour where you can reminisce about the age of glamour and air travel with the help of the outstanding 2 tonne chandelier that used to grace Manchester Airport.  It's educational, entertaining and guaranteed to capture your imagination.








After why not indulge in some retail therapy in the Artisan Gift Shop or take a load off, and enjoy some delicious home cooked food in St Helens only canal-side cafe.  


Organised groups of all ages can get some great deals on entry including school visits and it's a unique venue for corporate events, award ceremonies, product launches, receptions and other events.  Why don't you find out more.....If you don;t believe me ask Trip Advisor who have awarded The World of Glass a certificate of excellence!

“unbelieveable”

Reviewed 2 November 2012 NEW

watching them blowing the glass to different shapes was amazing all the different things they made and you could ask questions as well

“Well worth a visit”

Reviewed 27 October 2012 via mobile

My son had been on a school trip and has been asking to go back ever since. He got to make a calendar for next year, watch glass blowing, see a short film and do the maze and funny mirrors. He really enjoyed it and so did we. All the staff were lovely and couldn't do enough for you.

The Griffin Inn at Eccleston.....

Now if you've enjoyed your visit to The World Of Glass and are looking to continue your day out why not head for The Griffin Inn at Eccleston.  

It's a privately-run hotel, restaurant and pub which caters for weddings, parties, functions, funerals and many other occasions. The Griffin has Sky Sports and ESPN which can be watched on several plasma TVs as well as a large screen TV.  They also now offer free Wireless Internet Access.

As The Griffin Inn is a privately-owned establishment, they can offer the business traveller a relaxed alternative to the corporate-style hotel, without compromising on the quality of service expected.  For further information on bookings, accommodation or restaurant reservation, you can call them on 01744 27907.

The Griffin Inn has 11 ensuite bedrooms and cater for both the business and leisure travellerAll their rooms are maintained to the highest possible standards. All rooms are ensuite and include telephone, trouser press, hairdryer, television and hospitality tray.  

Here's a comment from Trip Advisor.....

“Great place to stay”

Reviewed 30 July 2012 via mobile

We had all the rooms booked for wedding accommodation and would highly recommend The Griffin for atmosphere, friendliness, food and accommodation. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff even though the place is very busy as both pub and restaurant the staff did everything they could to make our stay exceptional. The staff quite often make a place and...

The Venue Nightclub.....

Looking for a great night out?  Head to The Venue one of St Helens Premiere nightspots.....it has a seductive retro feel which oozes chic and glamour. The Venue boasts a plush seated VIP area for small private parties with its own sectioned bar area.....

The bar menu offers a wide selection of imported bottle beers, wines and spirits, an exceptional cocktail menu and a exclusive selection of champagne. They host two large external seated and heated smoking terraces with easy access from the ground floor..... 

They are dedicated to bringing you some of the world’s finest club brands, DJ’s and producers.....so why not follow them on Twitter.....

THE FRIDAY NIGHT MASHUP @ THE VENUE Join them on a Friday playing a selection of the biggest R&B grooves, funky vocal house and loads of club classics. All bottle beers from £2 all night include Budweiser, WKD, peroni, smirnoff, Corona and 2 4 1 on all champagne cocktails! you can’t go wrong. Free admission all night!!!

SATURDAY’S @ THE VENUE Join them every Saturday for St Helen’s première night out with special guest djs and weekly entertainers raising the standard and creating that perfect atmosphere, plus Playing the Biggest Funky Vocal and electro house and free entry all night!!!!!! its what the perfect Saturday night is all about!!

Here's The November Mix from DJ Ben Anderson.....check it.....