Laurence Llewelyn Bowen & Dr Dawn host influencer lunch in stylish new foodie destination

On Monday 21^st October, celebrities Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and Dr Dawn Harper hosted a special lunch for invited VIP guests, to launch The Orangery restaurant in Rangeford Villages' Siddington Park development.  Over lunch, the TV personalities led a debate to address stigmas associated with ageing.  Rangeford is an award-winning leader in luxury retirement living for the 60+ community and is pioneering the way in its sector to revolutionise and revamp how people thrive beyond sixty.

Dr Dawn was introduced by Rangeford's CEO Howard Nankivell.  She delivered an engaging and thought-provoking talk about healthy longevity and what that means.  She discussed her research she carried out in the Blue Zones when writing her book ‘Live Well to 101', and some of the fascinating centenarians she met, embellished with hilarious anecdotal stories from their lives. 

Talking about the common threads amongst these people who were all living to one hundred years or more, she said:  ‘What struck me the most was that all these people were born before the motor car, before processed food and when families lived in a close supportive community.   These people used to walk to get around, they cooked fresh seasonal food and regularly engaged at mealtimes with family and friends all around one table.  It is these three things combined that are the key to a happy and healthy longevity.  Rangeford excels in my opinion at making sure the owners who live in their villages are supported with delicious healthy nutrition, extensive wellbeing facilities and programs and social engagement.  They spare no expense on investing extensively in these key areas, giving the people who live in a Rangeford village a far superior retirement lifestyle and experience.'

The recent announcement of Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's appointment as Rangeford Villages' new Design Curator marks a first-of-its-kind partnership that really raises the bar for design in the retirement sector.

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen commented during his talk at the event: ‘As you get older you must not stop being brave, you must not compromise, and you must not think, I'm old now, so I'd better turn down the volume. Rangeford is proving it's about keeping the volume up, keeping up the rock ‘n' roll, and keeping the excitement. Design is there to help, it is there to make you feel a lot better about who you are, where you are and how you live.  It is not about downsizing, it is about ‘rightsizing', making your home environment work for you so that you can focus on living life to the full!'

The Orangery restaurant and bar, which recently opened its doors to the public, is housed in The Pavillion, Siddington Park's five-star health and wellbeing complex.  Guests in attendance at the VIP lunch event were treated to a special Tasting Menu by talented Head Chef Danijel Furjan, to showcase the restaurant's newly launched Autumn menu.  There were twelve different tasting dishes including creamy wild mushrooms with truffle oil on sourdough toast, Ballantine of confit duck leg with roasted and pureed Jerusalem artichoke, pan fried seabream with lemony fregola, clams, roasted tomatoes and agretti; and double chocolate brownie with salted caramel ice cream.

ABOVE:  Rangeford Villages CEO Howard Nankivell; Mayor Cllr Sarah Orr; Dr Dawn Harper and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen in The Orangery at Siddington Park. 

Event images by Kay Ransom Photography

Food photography by Cotswold Food Bloggers

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ALL MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Jo Welch, The Cotswold PR Companyjo@thecotswoldprcompany.com07767 416092

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About Siddington Park: (https://www.rangefordvillages.co.uk/villages/siddington-park)

Siddington Park apartments start at £299,950, with a selection of one, two and three bedroom apartments still available. Interested buyers can contact the Siddington Park sales team on 01285 580928 or visit www.rangefordvillages.co.uk.

For a selection of hi-res images, please click here

About Rangeford Villages: (www.rangefordvillages.co.uk)             

Rangeford Villages mission is to create beautiful, contemporary communities with excellent services and amenities to help people 60+ enjoy life to the full. Rangeford is owned by Fern Trading Limited, the parent company of a diverse group of companies based in the UK with a market capitalisation of £2.8bn. It is advised by Octopus Real Estate, a leading UK healthcare property investor, developer and manager. Octopus Real Estate is part of Octopus Group, which invests in and develops partnerships and properties to deliver innovative healthcare facilities to improve the health and wellbeing of the UK.