Ridgeview’s new autumn menu

Karen Neville

South Downs

Head to Rows & Vine restaurant at Ditchling Common for some sensational seasonal small plates & tapas style dishes

The seasonal and sensational new autumn menu has launched at Ridgeview’s recently opened Rows & Vine restaurant.

Nestled in the breath-taking South Downs, overlooking the oldest chardonnay vines, Rows & Vine serves affordable and seasonal small plates and tapas-style dishes. The dishes, all priced at £13 or under, are designed for sharing and pairing with the award-winning English sparkling wine. Favouring fresh, local, and sustainable produce, the menu is inspired by the seasons and the beautiful surroundings in the South Downs National Park.

Collaborating with local producers is of key importance to Ridgeview, so it’s partnered with local cheese and meat suppliers, to curate plates that pair very well with its home-grown sparkling wines.

Hero autumnal dishes include deliciously rich porchetta with seasonal apple relish, roasted squash arancini balls with parmesan and chorizo mayonnaise for the added kick, flavourful beef rib with sweet maple and paprika purée and autumnal tabbouleh with crisp kale. For more info, or to book a table visit The Rows & Vine Restaurant.

Mysteries & mayhem Winchester Science Centre

Karen Neville

South Downs

Outdoor adventures and curious science this half term with free outdoor orienteering and family activities

Step into a world of weird science, curiosity and investigation at Winchester Science Centre this May and June during Mysteries & Mayhem.

Between Saturday 13th May and Monday 5th June, including every day in the May half term school holidays, there’ll be all the usual Science Centre fun, plus even more to excite all ages, all included with admission.

Head outside to discover what the mischievous dormouse has been up to during some dormouse orienteering, explore mysterious insects and animals through intricate x-rays in Bio:Space, marvel at the wonder of the magnetic ferrofluid in Science Live and experience the exciting live science demos of a brand new science show.

There’s a mystery afoot at Winchester Science Centre this May half term. The illusive dormouse has been causing mayhem outside in the South Downs National Park. Visitors are invited to help solve the mystery during an outdoor orienteering adventure. Head to the Nature Laboratory before following the map to find evidence of the dormouse. Where have they been living? What have they been eating? Families can become Citizen Scientists and help the Science Centre team monitor what the dormouse has been up to. Through sharing data, visitors will help create a picture of the local dormouse population.

The mysteries continue indoors in the brand new free live science show, Chemistry Crime Squad. There’s been a crime committed! Families are invited to join the audience and help the Science Centre Inspirers use science to solve the mystery of the missing lunch. Find out about acids and alkalis as a secret message is unearthed. Discover how baking powder and vinegar can blow up a balloon to reveal clues about the crime. And be wowed by the exciting Elephant’s Toothpaste explosive conclusion!

There’s more wow live science happening in Bio:Space and Science Live. Explore the wonder of ferrofluid, a magnetic liquid that’s causing mayhem in Science Live. And in Bio:Space, science takes on a nature theme. Discover mysterious insects and animals through intricate x-rays and models.

And it’s not just Earth’s mysteries being explored during Mysteries & Mayhem. In the Planetarium the stars will be putting on a show. In live show, Secrets of the Stars, visitors can shoot into space to discover the hidden mysteries of the constellations. Hear stories that have been told for thousands of years and explore the galaxies of the epic tales. And in Astronaut, a subtitled film show, find out what it takes to become a real-life spaceman.

And don’t forget all the other hands-on fun on offer! Visitors can discover more about sound, hearing and vibration on the upper floor. Climb inside a giant guitar. Explore the acoustic rocket and even learn some British Sign Language. On the lower floor families can blast off on a journey through Explorer:Space and discover more about what it’s like to live and work in space in the interactive space zone.

Mysteries & Mayhem is part of the Science Centre’s explosive year of fun. Daytimes will be action-packed with six brand-new seasonal events, one for every school holiday. And when the doors close the fun doesn’t stop with four brand-new family and adult-only evening events.

For more information about the 2023 season at Winchester Science Centre visit Winchester Science Centre.