About Nicole

Nicole Navigates is a Northamptonshire blog that aims to inspire you to eat & navigate the county whilst supporting local and independent.

Nicole Navigates is an established Northamptonshire blog founded by Nicole Read in 2015 which features how she navigates the county through local events, eating & drinking and of course, navigating it all it has to offer! I am on a mission to inspire people to navigate what’s on their doorstep, to support local businesses and eat at independents.

I want to prove that Northamptonshire is a place to be proud of. My local influence has proven to be successful and has gained a positive impact, which has lead to creating my own local hashtag #NavigatingNorthants.

A little bit about my background; I have been heavily involved in publication writing for food and lifestyle magazines, had various marketing and PR roles, been involved with social media content marketing for various businesses in B2B and B2C and blogging for myself, for clients and guest blogging.

The blog started out as a hobby when I was fresh out of my Musical Theatre degree and was looking for something creative to fill my time. My blog started to slowly feature eats and local adventures in the Northamptonshire area which came from genuine curiosity to navigate my local area from when we first moved to the shire when I was 13.

I wanted a place to document everything and when I started working for a local business magazine, I ended up navigating to lots of places in Northamptonshire which inspired me to share all that I was eating and doing.

Zoom forward: Nicole Navigates has quickly become a go-to place for inspiration on what to do and where to eat in Northamptonshire. My Northants Food Guides feature independents only and features some of the best places to dine for various occasions.

In my short career, I believe I have the essential toolkit to provide valuable, educational and inspiring content that is delivered well and gets results – my local influence means people trust my judgment and are happy to come to me for local advice.

On this blog, you will find where I eat & drink in Northamptonshire from my Northants Food Guides from Afternoon Tea to Brunch, restaurant reviews and food festivals in the county including Althorp Food & Drink Festival.

I also make it a habit of navigating everywhere in the county, so you will find blog posts on Northamptonshire (obviously), experiences I have taken including a Saxby’s Cider tour, discovering Rockingham Castle and even taking my love of supporting local further by managing a local producers food stall at a food fair!

I also do a fair few hotel reviews in the county where I stayed at Whittlebury Park and Kettering Park Hotel & Spa.

I also share local guides from in the county and beyond including my first timers Market Harborough guide as well as seasonal guides for events such as Autumn Festivals and What’s On This Summer.

You may have also seen me on some offline stuff too which include writing various foodie columns in local magazines, appearing on radio and even being a judge for independent food & drink awards! You can find out more on what I’ve been featured in here.

You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Come and say hello, I’m more than happy to chat and if you require any recommendations on where to eat or navigate in the county, give me a buzz!

You can also find out how you can contact me whether you just fancy saying hello, popping me a review or if you’re a company or brand that is interested in working with me, you can find out details on how to work with me here.