A CITY restaurant has taken a controversial product off the menu after a protest.

More than a dozen protesters gathered outside Marco Pierre White's Steakhouse, at the Alea Casino, in Upper Parliament Street, on October 2 to complain about the use of foie gras on the menu.

The production of foie gras – the liver of a duck or goose – involves the controversial force-feeding of birds with more food than they would voluntarily eat.

But now the restaurant's bosses have taken the item off the menu.

Mark Hands, Venue director at Alea Nottingham, said: "We are a responsible and ethical company with a strong social conscience. We are proud of these credentials and the way we operate in the local community.

"Despite foie gras proving popular with our customers since our new menu was introduced five weeks ago, we also understand and respect those who have strong views about animal welfare.

"As such, we have made the decision to remove foie gras from our menu."

CELEBRITY baby expert Jo Tantum will be giving local parents advice on how to get their children to sleep.

The expert, who has helped rock-star families, will be at the Nottinghamshire Golf and Country Club in Cotgrave on Tuesday, November 25, from 7pm.

Tickets are available at £50 at www.sleep-therapy.co.uk

ROBIN Hood and his Merry Men could return to our screens in a new series of Hollywood films.

Movie-making giant Sony is rumoured to be close to securing a deal for the rights to a new franchise for around £622,000.

It is thought the first film would be entitled Hood, with possible spin-off movies planned along the lines of the Mission Impossible or Fast And Furious series.

Nottinghamshire's official Robin Hood, Tim Pollard, who has spent more than two decades playing the character, said: "I think that it is a very cool idea. For the county it could mean a lot more than just a new film because every time a film or TV series is made, visitor numbers here increase.

"With the last film, starring Russell Crowe, the premiere was held in Nottingham, as well as Cannes. This is publicity you cannot buy.

"It would be great if some of the filming was done here, like they did with Wollaton Hall and Batman. Robin Hood is England's superhero and I am really excited about it."

The last big-screen outing for the legendary outlaw was in 2010, when Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett starred as Robin Hood and Maid Marian. That film was directed by Ridley Scott and made £5,750,332 in its opening weekend.

The film's success was also good for the county, with more than 290 press articles written and over £1.5 million in Nottinghamshire advertising generated off the back of the blockbuster.

There was a 5.5 per cent increase in visitor numbers at Nottingham Castle and a seven per cent increase in visitors from outside the county for the Robin Hood Festival in August 2010 following the film's release.

The 1991 Kevin Costner film Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, also brought an explosion in tourism, said to be worth millions to the local economy.

Jennifer Spencer, chief executive of Experience Nottinghamshire, said: "We know from experience that Robin Hood on the big screen means an increase in visitors to Nottinghamshire.

"Any kind of high-profile adaptation of the legend helps inspire people to discover his home county for themselves, and we look forward to seeing what Sony plans to do with this new series."

Film-maker Cory Goodman, who is working on rebooting the Underworld vampire franchise, and Jeremy Lott, who wrote supernatural thriller The Falling staring Zac Efron, are said to be behind the pitch, which was first reported on The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision blog.

The Post contacted Sony but no one was available for comment.

Sheriff of Nottingham Councillor Jackie Morris said: "For a number of years, we have encouraged filming projects which feature the city or promote its culture and history. We also know how valuable this can be in terms of money and visitors to the area."

THE driver who died in a crash on the A453 was on his way home after taking his family to the airport.

Brian Herrick, of Owthorpe Lane, Kinoulton, was killed when his grey Peugeot was involved in the smash in Barton-in-Fabis.

His loved ones only found out what had happened to the 69-year-old when they turned on their mobile phones after landing in Spain.

The dad-of-one was on the way back from East Midlands Airport after dropping off his three sisters and girlfriend for a girls' holiday when the accident happened.

When the group landed in Malaga, they turned their phones on and found a text message telling them to call police.

Girlfriend Ada Cook made the call from the airport and was given the terrible news that Mr Herrick had died.

Sister Kathleen Owens, also of Owthorpe Lane, Kinoulton, said: "We all just screamed and cried. It was a terrible shock. Obviously, we couldn't carry on with our holiday, so we got the same plane straight back home. Monarch just put us straight back on a flight.

"We were just crying all the way back."

Mr Herrick, who grew up in Owthorpe and joined the Merchant Navy when he was 17, went on to become a pylon constructor and travelled all over the world with his job.

He worked for Amec, based in Darlington, and Mrs Owens said he "loved his job".

He had one son, Richard, who turned 42 yesterday – two days after Monday's crash. Richard lost his mother when he was just three months old and was brought up by Kathleen. She said: "Brian was a very, very good father. Richard was absolutely devastated by his dad's death.

"Brian was just a wonderful person and was very kind and caring. He would never say a bad word about anybody – and nobody would say a bad word about him. He was a beautiful man. It's so sad to lose him."

His sister Margaret, of Lingwood Lane, Woodborough, said: "I adored Brian, just like everybody else did. He was a very hard worker and very caring. I will always remember him for telling stories to us when we were children and he used to love a good sing-song."

Brian also leaves two other sisters, Pauline O'Connell and Jeanette Herrick, and a brother, Paul Herrick.

Another car – a black Ford Fiesta – and a lorry were involved in the crash, which closed the road for nine hours, causing traffic queues around Nottingham. The driver of the Fiesta was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Police urged or anyone with information about the accident to call 101, quoting incident 59 of October 6.

DISUSED council land worth £16,500 will be sold to a private developer, if plans are approved.

The strip of land in Commercial Road, Keyworth, has been identified as surplus to Rushcliffe Brough Council's requirements". Officials have asked councillors to approve its sale for the development of five homes.

The land had previously provided an access road to former business premises, now vacant. The council says the "access road is in a poor state of repair and has no alternative beneficial use".

NOTTINGHAM Playhouse's former theatre manager, Stephen Remington, has been awarded an honorary doctor of arts degree from Anglia Ruskin University.

He received the accolade in Chelmsford yesterday.

Mr Remington was in charge at the Playhouse from 1971 to 1972 before becoming chief executive of the world-renowned Sadler's Wells Theatre in London and later of the charity Action for Blind People.

THE Commonwealth of England has had short shrift from school curriculum planners.

It's as if our 11 years as a republic then dictatorship is somehow not "proper" history. Class, we've done the beheading of King Charles I in 1649. Now reopen your textbooks at the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.

That may have something to do with traditional teaching methods, believes historian Charles Spencer.

"Young people were taught history at school in terms of the reigns of kings and queens," he says. "I studied Charles I and the English Civil War but I knew nothing about the Commonwealth that followed it."

The writer – known more formally as the 9th Earl Spencer – has put that right. His research into the Interregnum and Restoration has resulted in the book Killers Of The King.

Spencer was in Nottingham this week to sign copies at a private dinner at Hart's Restaurant – situated on the very hill where, in 1642, Charles launched his catastrophic war against Parliament.

Catastrophic not only for king but also kingdom. Some estimates put the number of combat deaths at close on 100,000, with countless thousands more civilians perishing of plague and famine. It remains the bloodiest war on British soil.

Spencer's book concerns the aftermath – the fate of the 59 commissioners who convicted the king and others associated with his downfall and death.

When his son King Charles II claimed the throne in 1660, nine surviving regicides were executed and several were sentenced to life imprisonment; some remained in exile, fearing death if they returned.

Spencer's book charts the Stuart revenge and the author has sympathy for the hunters who became the hunted.

"When I began my research, I thought I would feel sorry for Charles," he said. "A nice man, a devout Christian, a good father. But I grew to feel he was a terrible king. He always followed the advice of the last person who spoke to him.

"He was still ruling in a medieval way even though the time had passed for Parliament to have a bigger say.

"You have to respect the motives of those who signed the warrant – they were very principled and sincere."

The concept of the Divine Right of Kings, struck a near-fatal blow at Whitehall in 1649, expired with the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

The concept of constitutional monarchy developed over the next three centuries and, as brother to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, the author is uncle and great-uncle to princes who will sustain that tradition.

Charles Spencer, 50, was educated at Eton and Oxford, where he read modern history. The father of seven children, he lives at Althorp, the Spencer estate in Northamptonshire, with his third wife, Karen, Canadian-born founder of the charity Whole Child International.

He succeeded to the earldom in 1992. Five years later, at Diana's funeral service, he dropped the world's jaw with a eulogy including criticism of both the media and the Royal Family. In happier days, his literary reputation has grown. There were early books about Althorp and the Spencer dynasty but his breakthrough as a mainstream historian came with Blenheim, Battle For Europe (2004); the victor of Blenheim, the Duke of Marlborough, was great-grandfather of the 1st Earl Spencer.

The author's work is done in a special room at Althorp. "My study is my grandmother's sitting room," he explains. "I was eight when she died but I remember her very well.

"It is very much 'her' space but I find it allows me to be creative. It has high windows and the light streams in. I can do about four hours of research every day but if I do much more, it's like running down a battery – I struggle to do four the next day.

"My wife is Canadian, so is not so familiar with English history. I am always reading to her what I have written and she says, 'It sounds like fiction – it's going at such a pace'!"

Killers Of The King is pacey, not racy. The author rejoices in disclosing telling detail about the lives of the men and women whose actions changed the course of history.

Look out for characters like the louche Notts barrister Gilbert Millington; Attenborough-born cavalry general Henry Ireton; John Hutchinson of Owthorpe, redoubtable governor of the Nottingham Castle garrison, and his loyal wife Lucy (see panel).

Spencer is currently looking at three possible projects but knows he must be able to sustain his passion for whichever one he pursues.

He quotes another descendant of the Duke of Marlborough, Sir Winston Churchill. "Writing a book is an adventure," observed the great war leader, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature. "To begin with it is a toy and an amusement. Then it becomes a mistress, then it becomes a master, then it becomes a tyrant."

Don't be surprised if one day Spencer returns to familiar territory. "The English Civil War," he reminds us, "is so fundamental to what this country is today."

Killers Of The King – The Men Who Dared To Execute Charles I, is published by Bloomsbury at £20.

YOUNG mum Delaine Smith is determined to find a job to support her and eight-month-old son Kiann.

She was among dozens of people who attended Eastwood Jobs Fair yesterday, eager to see what local employers had to offer.

Ms Smith, 19, of Queens Road North in the town, has received training and work experience over the past year and is determined to take the next step into employment.

She said: "I don't want to be sat on my backside all my life waiting, I want to get things going. It's been a bit of a struggle because money just goes on bills, so when I get paid it's all gone.

"I want to be doing something positive, I want to make my family proud of me.

"Today, I've sent off a couple of job applications and applied for an apprenticeship – it's going well.

"I've spoken to people at all of the stalls at the fair. I feel much better and feel more positive about it."

More than 100 jobs were on offer at the fair, organised by the Nottingham Post, Broxtowe Borough Council, Eastwood Town Council and Jobcentre Plus and held at the town's post office. Fourteen firms took part, offering a variety of opportunities including apprenticeships.

Reece Peck, 18, of Broad Lane, Brinsley, has been seeking work for the past six months and was encouraged after meeting employers.

He added: "I've got a part-time job but I'm going for a career that I want, something to do for the rest of my life.

"I was looking at apprenticeships. There was one where you do maths, English, ICT and then they choose an area to send you to a work placement. I think it was helpful. It's given me some decent opportunities to look into."

Among the employers was the Nottingham Belfry Hotel, which had seven jobs on offer.

Restaurant and bar manager Mike Hart said: "We've got a few names and will be inviting them to the hotel to see if they fit in. I think it's been a great event, and we've managed to find potential candidates."

Milan Radulovic, leader of Broxtowe Borough Council, said: "We're hoping to repeat this as a regular event.

"We do have isolated unemployment – it's the case of many former industrial towns with problems accessing real employment. We are looking to bring major employers back to Eastwood because there's a strong workforce here with a strong work ethic."

A BOWLS club in Wilford is to be given more protection from development.

The building, in Main Road, is to become an "asset of community value" after being nominated by the Wilford Community Group.

As well as having a bowling green, the club also serves as a meeting venue for the community.

"Asset of community value" status means that if the owner wants to sell the club, it must tell Nottingham City Council and give the community six months to raise money to purchase the club.

A FORMER centre for excluded schoolchildren is set to be demolished.

The Denewood Centre, in Bilborough, closed at the start of last year after the building was deemed unfit.

The pupil referral unit used to looked after children who had left mainstream education, providing them with tailored courses.

Plans have now been revealed to knock the building down.

A NEW playground could be built at a city school which has just had an extension.

The new building at Southwold Primary, in Radford, has taken up much of the existing playground.

A planning application for a replacement has been submitted to Nottingham City Council. In it, Jeanette Buzza, from the school, says: "We wish to extend our playground following a new build on the existing playground."

The application says that the playground would have a polymeric surface, which is like rubber.

AN ELEVEN-year-old deaf student has come runner-up in a national competition in London.

Oliver Thatcher was presented with his trophy by top British dog trick act Ashleigh Butler along with her dog Pudsey at the Hearing Dogs Awards 2014.

Oliver, of Ravenshead, travelled to London with his hearing dog, Jazz, and met Princess Anne.

Oliver's dad, Jonathan said: "Oliver was runner up in his category, Life Changing Partnership of the Year."

The event was organised by charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People and was hosted by TV presenter Tim Vincent.

TRAFFIC chaos hit Colwick in rush hour when a motorcyclist crashed on a corner.

No other cars were involved in the incident, which happened just before 5pm yesterday on Chaworth Road.

A man was riding the bike around the corner when he lost control on the bend and came off.

The ambulance arrived at the scene around 5.10pm and called the police to join them - although the force later confirmed there was nothing suspicious about the crash.

The man was conscious and breathing, although witnesses at the scene said he was "making no sense" and confused.

The road was closed off and the man was taken to hospital by ambulance.

The Red Line 44 bus was unable to reach Netherfield Centre and was stopping at Vale Road. But the road was reopened again at 5.30pm.

TWENTY-SIX airport taxis were found to be mechanically unsound during a routine safety check last month.

Erewash Borough Council's licensing enforcement officers helped carry out safety checks on 106 taxis in a one-day operation at East Midlands Airport.

The team joined colleagues from five other local authorities as well as Leicestershire police and customs officers for the operation.

The main defects discovered on the 26 cars were worn tyres and blown bulbs.

IT'S not quite the Last Post.

But by the time you read this, it might not be far off.

Around 50,000 postboxes across the country have brought back collection times to as early as 9am in a bid to save Royal Mail cash. Hundreds of them are in Nottinghamshire.

The facts seem fairly stark: postbox usage has fallen by a third since 2005.

Clearly, there are fewer of us hastily penning thank-you letters to distant relatives after Christmas and birthdays, hours spent labouring over fan mail have been replaced by seconds spent composing 140-character tweets.

I moved house this week and while packing away my belongings, I came across an open packet of 100 envelopes that I remember picking up during my first shop when I started university back in 2006.

It was one of those runs where you pick up "life essentials" – oven gloves, tea towels, 100 envelopes.

The oven gloves are scorched, tea towels well past their prime, but I still have 95 crisp white envelopes unused.

At this rate, it'll be 2070 before supplies before the stock runs dry. The decline of postboxes, much like that of phone boxes, has been quicker than many expected.

Ask someone where their nearest functioning phone box is and their face may well go blank like a TV when the plug is suddenly pulled. But whereas innovative things are being done with the shells of phone boxes – small libraries, defibrillators, even charging points for mobile phones – some are just being left to ruin.

Or judging by previous experiences, impromptu facilities for people who have been caught short. And not of phone battery. It seems Royal Mail isn't happy with the same fate for their postboxes – it's harder for pillar boxes to turn into libraries in any case...

But the decision has been made that in order to preserve the boxes, changes have to be made.

Royal Mail aren't alone. As mentioned, phone boxes are disappearing and there's pressure on other services that are nice to have but have declining use in recent times, such as libraries for example.

We may well end up with a situation where IMBYism is king.

People accept that some phone boxes have to go, some libraries should shut, some GP surgeries need to be merged, just as long as its not the one near them.

Still, it's funny how things change. Ten years ago, people would get narked as post piled through the letterbox but the ding of a new email would be exciting.

Now, the reverse seems to be true and something tangible through the letterbox is a novelty.

There is nothing nicer than receiving a letter, but it seems to many that there's nothing more tiresome than writing one. More's the shame.

Mansfield: Martin Rayle Everet Johnson, 34, of Winster Way, Oak Tree Lane Estate, Mansfield, has been bailed to attend the town's magistrates' court to be sentenced on October 29. Johnson pleaded guilty to assaulting a female in the town on September 19.

Mansfield: Lee Walters, 33, of Corporation Street, Mansfield, has been conditionally discharged for 12 months. At the town's magistrates' court, he pleaded guilty to fraud. He found a receipt, went into a store, picked up a similar item and got a refund on September 16. Walters was ordered to pay £29.99 compensation, a £15 victim surcharge and costs of £40.

Sutton-in-Ashfield: Mark Andrew Cane, 28, of Elder Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield, pleaded not guilty to assaulting a male in Mansfield on June 1. At Mansfield Magistrates' Court, Cane was bailed to attend his trial on January 12.

Carlton: Valentine Harverye, 23, of Cavendish Road, Carlton, has been bailed to appear at Nottingham Crown Court. He is charged with going into a flat in Hound Road, West Bridgford, with intent to steal on September 29. Harverye is due in court on October 15.

Stapleford: Daniel Martin Cook, 27, of Dryden Court, Stapleford, denied assaulting a woman in Stapleford on August 10 and August 13. Cook has been bailed to attend Nottingham Magistrates' Court on December 10.

Beeston: Adrian Evans, 45, of Gladstone Street, Beeston, is charged with driving a Mercedes and using a hand-held mobile phone. The offence allegedly happened in Wollaton Road, Wollaton, on November 7 last year. After pleading not guilty at Nottingham Magistrates' Court, Evans will have a trial on December 11 at 10am.

CARE home staff have been told to re-train by a health watchdog following a string of failings.

Nottingham City Council has suspended its contracts with St Martin's Residential Home, in Bilborough, after a visit by regulator the Care Quality Commission.

Inspectors issued three enforcement notices against the St Martin's Road home for problems with care and welfare, supporting staff as well as monitoring the quality of their service.

The home said that, following the July inspection, it quickly took action to meet requirements.

In a report, an inspector who visited the home, said: "Staff had not received all of the training identified as being relevant to their role.

"For example, 13 out of 20 staff had either not received fire safety training or their training was out of date.

"Also, 13 out of 20 staff had either not received first aid training or their training was out of date and five out of 20 staff had either not received manual handling training or their training was out of date."

Although the report states that the home met the standard in four other key areas, other training problems were also found, including food hygiene and food preparation.

The city council currently has 13 residents at the home but has suspended its contract and will not send any more until further notice.

Helen Jones, director of adult social care, said: "We are aware of the three warning notices issued to St Martin's and have suspended our contract.

"We are having regular meetings with management at the care home to monitor the steps being taken to improve standards. We can assure current residents and their families that we are working with our partners to make sure these are implemented as soon as possible."

The latest inspection was carried out on July 30 and found the home failed to improve on the same areas following a previous inspection on April 3.

Hazel Upton, spokeswoman for St Martin's, said: "We are now in compliance with the Care Quality Commission. The changes were made within a very short time of the inspection."

The health regulator will make a further unannounced visit to the home to make sure improvements have been made.

THE University of Nottingham has secured £181 million of new grants in the past year – the most it's ever recorded in a 12-month period.

Academics secured 801 different awards during the 2013-14 financial year towards pioneering research.

They came from a variety of sources, including research councils, charitable foundations, Government departments, the EU, private companies, professional organisations and other grant-giving bodies.

The largest of the awards was £14.2 million from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, to establish a synthetic biology research centre. There were also a further 20 awards in excess of £1m for a variety of projects.

Bramcote: Police have launched an appeal to find a Bramcote man who went missing at a family wedding.

Baljeev Johal, 24, was attending the wedding at Sports Connexion, in Leamington Road, Ryton On Dunsmore, Warwickshire, on Sunday.

He went missing at around 12.30am and his family are worried for his safety.

Baljeev is Asian, around 6ft 3in tall and wears glasses. He was last seen wearing a slim white shirt with black jacket and black trousers.

Long Eaton: Two people were arrested on suspicion of growing cannabis after police raided a house.

Officers searched a house in Pennine Close at about 9am yesterday and found what were believed to be cannabis plants inside. A 26-year-old man and a 50-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of producing a class B drug with intent to supply.

Eastwood: Four Motus Cross Bar electric bikes have been stolen from Church Street.

The thefts happened between 7pm on Sunday and 5pm on Monday.

The bikes were in a container in the yard, which the thieves broke into.