April foodie photo dump 📸 Looking at my camer April foodie photo dump 📸 

Looking at my camera roll, turns out April was not only filled with lots of walking, work stuff and days out, but it involved ALOT of good food. Here’s a breakdown:

🍏 @bitestreet enjoying a @fashion.bake bao bun and @gyroguys1 doner meat and halloumi wrap washed down with @saxbys_cider 

🥯 Lots of Sunday coffees and smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels from @clairescottagekitchen 

🐟 Fish finger sandwich and best coffee chats at @clarke_and_dean 

☕️ Delicious iced coffee in the sunshine from @tenhandscafe 

🧁 Savoury and sweet afternoon tea at @olddairyfarmcrafts 

🍻 Stout and ale hauls from @haveigotbrewsforyou 

🍔 Insane blue cheese Mayo burger from @theflavourtrailer at @towcestermillbrewery 

I love looking back on my camera roll and smiling over the memories I’ve made this month. How has your April been? Let me know what food you enjoyed in Northamptonshire or beyond 👇🏻

#NavigatingNorthants #NorthantsFood #AprilPhotoDump #NorthantsFoodie #NicoleNavigates #NorthamptonshireFood #Bitestreet #Towcester #Northampton #NorthantsBlogger #NorthantsBloggers #NorthantsFoodBlogger #AprilFoodPhotos #ThisGirlEats #IndependentNorthants
If in doubt, always put the dress and heels on 💃🏻

Cocktails and dressing up last night with a friend was just what I needed to boost my confidence and luckily Northampton isn’t shy of places to visit on a Saturday night: @vandb_northampton @turtlebaynorthampton @maulecollective and @johnfranklinsbar to name a few 🍸 

Where are your favourite places to head to on a Saturday night in town? Let’s share recommendations below 👇🏻 

#NicoleNavigates #NavigatingNorthants #Northampton #ThingsToDoNorthampton #SaturdayNightNorthants #NorthamptonTown
BiteStreet NN, I’m back baby! ✌🏼 Incredibl BiteStreet NN, I’m back baby! ✌🏼

Incredible line up from vendors like @brokenbonebbq @fashion.bake and @canoodlestreetfood all washed down with some @saxbys_cider 👌🏼 it felt good to be back and my food cravings were satisfied!

Are you heading down this weekend? @bitestreet is on all day today and tomorrow at @northantsccc (let’s just pray the sunshine stays!)

📌 Save this post for things to do in Northampton 

#NavigatingNorthants #NorthantsFood #NorthantsFoodie #BitestreetNN #IndependentNorthants #NicoleNavigatesNorthants #ThisGirlEats #NorthamptonFood #NorthamptonFoodie #EatLocal #EatLocalNN #NNLovesLocal #StreetFoodNN #NorthantsHour #NorthantsFoodAndDrink
Pints of cider, spring sunshine and baby cuddles 👶🏼 (that’s a sitcom episode title, surely?)

Loved spending last night with @thewishfulluxury and @xangrim and of course, baby Emilia for cuddles with her auntie Nicole as we enjoyed the last of the sunshine ☀️ spring is definitely on its way! 

I hope the weather lasts this weekend. Tell me what your plans are and if you’re navigating Northamptonshire or beyond 😍

📍 Check out @towcestermillbrewery who have a fantastic pub garden for this time of year

#NicoleNavigates #NavigatingNorthants #Northamptonshire #Towcester #IndependentNorthants #NorthantsBlogger #TowcesterMillBrewery
We Will Rock You, Northampton 🤘🏻🎸 This w We Will Rock You, Northampton 🤘🏻🎸

This was the first ever musical I saw in London when I was 11 years old and I remember being absolutely blown away by this show that featured the music of my favourite band: Queen ❤️

17 years later and I saw the 20th tour production at @royalderngate last night and it still blew my socks off - also very emotional and touching seeing s full auditorium waving their hands and singing along to “We Are The Champions” 🥲

It’s in Northampton until Saturday and if you’re lucky like me, you might be able to bag yourself a last minute ticket for £20 - yup, you heard me! 👀 

Have you seen We Will Rock You? Wanna know how you can bag affordable theatre tickets in Northampton? Let me know 👇🏻

#NavigatingNorthants #WeWillRockYouTour #RoyalAndDerngate #NorthantsTheatre #Northampton
So Shy reporting for pantomime duty! 💁🏻‍♀️✨

One of my other passions is fooling around on stage making a tit out of myself - if you’re new here, you might not know that most February half terms, I find myself performing for a village pantomime in Syresham (near Silverstone) and this is the first year we’ve returned since the ol’ C word cancelled last years! 

I’ve loved playing this comedic role and it’s been fabulous doing what I love: singing, acting, making people laugh and again… making a right fool of myself!

If you’re local and providing the storms calm down tonight, we have 3 more shows left of Aladdin so come along if you fancy some half term entertainment (including a Saturday matinee!)

Do you have any weird and wonderful hobbies you do outside your regular 9-5 or Instagram life? 🎭✨🧞‍♂️

📍 Come see us at Syresham Village Hall, NN13 5HE - tickets on sale at the door for 7:30pm start (and 2:30pm tomorrow)
AD - PR Gift 🌮 who fancies a takeaway? This ho AD - PR Gift 🌮 who fancies a takeaway?

This home taco kit from @smokeandbraai hit the spot last weekend as everything was *chefs kiss* 👌🏼 life has felt extremely hectic and full on lately, so having this kit delivered with everything you need for a taco night was just what I needed!

The kit contained the following:

🐷 House Dry Rubbed 18 Hour Oak Wood Smoked BBQ Pulled Pork Shoulder (sourced from @westlodgefarmfood)
🌮 Handmade Masa Corn Tortilla
🧅 Homemade Sweet Pink Pickled Red Onions
🌶 Homemade Pickled Red Chillies
🧂 Smoked Sea Salt and Lime Crema

The kit comes with full instructions on how to prepare everything (literally took us 20 mins to get everything together) and it had plenty to keep us satisfied and full - maybe too many tacos consumed for me but hey, my eyes are bigger than my belly 👀

Drop them a DM if you’re feeling a taco night and let them know who sent ya ✌🏼 would you fancy trying this?

📌 Save this post for tasty independent takeaways in Northamptonshire! 

#NavigatingNorthants #IndependentNorthants #NorthantsFoodGuide #NorthantsFood #TacoTakeaway
Have you ever visited the Silverstone Interactive Have you ever visited the Silverstone Interactive Museum? 👀 

Well it’s well worth a trip if you haven’t! I went a couple of Sundays ago with my dad who is a massive F1 fan. Considering I don’t know too much about the in’s and out’s of motorsport, I found the whole day and experience throughly interesting.

The experience dives into the history of Silverstone and there is so much to look at, read, lots of demonstrations and things to tinker with and plenty of photo opportunities (my camera roll is FULL) 📸 

I paid £40 for two adult tickets plus another £5 to get a souvenir book for my dad and I’d say it’s well worth the money. Be prepared for lots of walking! 

Would this be something you’d like to do? Feel free to ask any questions in the comments below! 👇🏻

📍 @silverstoneinteractivemuseum is at @silverstonecircuit NN12 8TN

📌 Save this post for unique days out in Northamptonshire 

#NavigatingNorthants #Northamptonshire #NorthantsDaysOut #ThingsToDoNorthants #Silverstone #SilverstoneCircuit
You can’t stop the beat 🎶 Ad - Press invite You can’t stop the beat 🎶 Ad - Press invite 

Oooh I love a good-feel theatre show! @hairsprayuktour is finally here at @royalderngate and this show has been one I’ve wanted to tick off my theatre-watch list for ages! 😍

It’s a fab show with plenty of singing, dancing, comedy and so many sparkles. It’s only here until Saturday so get yourself down if you can - full review landing on my website today but *spoiler* it’s 5 ⭐️ from me!

Have you seen the show yet or will you be heading down to Royal & Derngate to see it this week? I’m gonna have the songs stuck in my head all day!

#NicoleNavigates #NavigatingNorthants #RoyalAndDerngate #HairsprayUKTour #Northampton #TheatreReview
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Northamptonshire, Theatre · 3rd February 2022

Hairspray the Musical at Royal & Derngate

AD – Press invite: I received complimentary tickets in exchange for an honest review.

You can’t stop the beat coming to Northampton this week! 

This upbeat, 60’s loving and star-dazzling show is here for one week only at Royal & Derngate and it’s one show, in particular, that’s been high on my theatre-watch list – and it was well worth the wait!

Hairspray the Musical is based on the 1988 film of the same name. Set in 1962 Baltimore, Maryland, it tells the story of Tracy Turnblad, whose dream is to dance on The Corny Collins Show, a local TV dance program. When Tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight, leading to social change as Tracy campaigns for the show’s integration.

The whole cast of Hairspray on Tour – photo credit: Mark Senior

The soundtrack is very “downtown” and features a lot of 1960’s-style dance, rhythm and blues all thanks to Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman who wrote the music and lyrics – highlight songs include “The Nicest Kids in Town”, “Welcome to the 60’s” and of course the iconic “You Can’t Stop The Beat”. 

The set itself is versatile and makes use of sets coming from either side of the stage to portray different locations, from Edna’s living room/ironing spot, Motormouth’s record shop and Penny’s bedroom.

The show opens with Tracy Turnblad waking up on a typical morning in Baltimore singing her opening number “Good Morning Baltimore”. I couldn’t believe it when I flicked through the programme to see that this is Katie Brace’s professional debut!

You definitely wouldn’t have known – she came across as a well-seasoned performer who has heaps of confidence, charm and quirkiness that makes her such a loveable Tracey Turnblad – I loved her performance! 

Katie Bruce as Tracey Turnblad. Photo credit: Mark Senior
Photo credit: Mark Senior

Brenda Edwards, best known for being on X Factor and Loose Women, played the iconic Motormouth Maybelle and my goodness that woman can belt a tune! Her vocals didn’t disappoint and she brought the theatre down with her rendition of “I Know Where I’ve Been” which was emotional, moving and pivotal to the musical’s overarching storyline. 

Alex Bourne’s portrayal of Edna Turnblad was brilliant. He took on the role and made it his own, whilst teasing the audience and cracking the whole theatre up with his one-liners. I particularly couldn’t stop laughing when he and Norman Pace, who plays Wilbur Turnblad, performed their duet “Timeless To Me” and well… you had to be there! 

Even the pair of them couldn’t stop giggling which made for a fourth wall break that brought us in and we loved it. 

Norman Pace and Alex Bourne as Wilbur and Edna Turnblad. Photo credit: Mark Senior

A couple of other cast highlights for me include Rebecca Thornhill who plays Miss Baltimore Crabs herself, Velma Von Tussle who brought sass, sophistication and fantastic vocals. Reece Richards who plays Seaweed was loveable, a brilliant supporting actor who has so much talent and one I craved to watch every time he came on stage. 

Little Inez was definitely one of the biggest stars of the show, played by Charlotte St Croix. Her vocals are something out of this world, even when she wasn’t centre stage, she was always catching my eye with her comedic reacting skills and she is a little star in the making of that one. 

Overall, the ensemble cast and the rest of the principal cast are a well-oiled machine who make up an incredible stage presence that was thoroughly wonderful to watch. 

It’s a feel-good show that will leave you with the soundtrack stuck in your head and there’s nothing quite like a full theatre full of happy people on their feet dancing to the finale with the cast! 

Tickets can be purchased here.

★★★★★

In: Northamptonshire, Theatre

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April foodie photo dump 📸 Looking at my camer April foodie photo dump 📸 

Looking at my camera roll, turns out April was not only filled with lots of walking, work stuff and days out, but it involved ALOT of good food. Here’s a breakdown:

🍏 @bitestreet enjoying a @fashion.bake bao bun and @gyroguys1 doner meat and halloumi wrap washed down with @saxbys_cider 

🥯 Lots of Sunday coffees and smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels from @clairescottagekitchen 

🐟 Fish finger sandwich and best coffee chats at @clarke_and_dean 

☕️ Delicious iced coffee in the sunshine from @tenhandscafe 

🧁 Savoury and sweet afternoon tea at @olddairyfarmcrafts 

🍻 Stout and ale hauls from @haveigotbrewsforyou 

🍔 Insane blue cheese Mayo burger from @theflavourtrailer at @towcestermillbrewery 

I love looking back on my camera roll and smiling over the memories I’ve made this month. How has your April been? Let me know what food you enjoyed in Northamptonshire or beyond 👇🏻

#NavigatingNorthants #NorthantsFood #AprilPhotoDump #NorthantsFoodie #NicoleNavigates #NorthamptonshireFood #Bitestreet #Towcester #Northampton #NorthantsBlogger #NorthantsBloggers #NorthantsFoodBlogger #AprilFoodPhotos #ThisGirlEats #IndependentNorthants
If in doubt, always put the dress and heels on 💃🏻

Cocktails and dressing up last night with a friend was just what I needed to boost my confidence and luckily Northampton isn’t shy of places to visit on a Saturday night: @vandb_northampton @turtlebaynorthampton @maulecollective and @johnfranklinsbar to name a few 🍸 

Where are your favourite places to head to on a Saturday night in town? Let’s share recommendations below 👇🏻 

#NicoleNavigates #NavigatingNorthants #Northampton #ThingsToDoNorthampton #SaturdayNightNorthants #NorthamptonTown
BiteStreet NN, I’m back baby! ✌🏼 Incredibl BiteStreet NN, I’m back baby! ✌🏼

Incredible line up from vendors like @brokenbonebbq @fashion.bake and @canoodlestreetfood all washed down with some @saxbys_cider 👌🏼 it felt good to be back and my food cravings were satisfied!

Are you heading down this weekend? @bitestreet is on all day today and tomorrow at @northantsccc (let’s just pray the sunshine stays!)

📌 Save this post for things to do in Northampton 

#NavigatingNorthants #NorthantsFood #NorthantsFoodie #BitestreetNN #IndependentNorthants #NicoleNavigatesNorthants #ThisGirlEats #NorthamptonFood #NorthamptonFoodie #EatLocal #EatLocalNN #NNLovesLocal #StreetFoodNN #NorthantsHour #NorthantsFoodAndDrink
Pints of cider, spring sunshine and baby cuddles 👶🏼 (that’s a sitcom episode title, surely?)

Loved spending last night with @thewishfulluxury and @xangrim and of course, baby Emilia for cuddles with her auntie Nicole as we enjoyed the last of the sunshine ☀️ spring is definitely on its way! 

I hope the weather lasts this weekend. Tell me what your plans are and if you’re navigating Northamptonshire or beyond 😍

📍 Check out @towcestermillbrewery who have a fantastic pub garden for this time of year

#NicoleNavigates #NavigatingNorthants #Northamptonshire #Towcester #IndependentNorthants #NorthantsBlogger #TowcesterMillBrewery
We Will Rock You, Northampton 🤘🏻🎸 This w We Will Rock You, Northampton 🤘🏻🎸

This was the first ever musical I saw in London when I was 11 years old and I remember being absolutely blown away by this show that featured the music of my favourite band: Queen ❤️

17 years later and I saw the 20th tour production at @royalderngate last night and it still blew my socks off - also very emotional and touching seeing s full auditorium waving their hands and singing along to “We Are The Champions” 🥲

It’s in Northampton until Saturday and if you’re lucky like me, you might be able to bag yourself a last minute ticket for £20 - yup, you heard me! 👀 

Have you seen We Will Rock You? Wanna know how you can bag affordable theatre tickets in Northampton? Let me know 👇🏻

#NavigatingNorthants #WeWillRockYouTour #RoyalAndDerngate #NorthantsTheatre #Northampton
So Shy reporting for pantomime duty! 💁🏻‍♀️✨

One of my other passions is fooling around on stage making a tit out of myself - if you’re new here, you might not know that most February half terms, I find myself performing for a village pantomime in Syresham (near Silverstone) and this is the first year we’ve returned since the ol’ C word cancelled last years! 

I’ve loved playing this comedic role and it’s been fabulous doing what I love: singing, acting, making people laugh and again… making a right fool of myself!

If you’re local and providing the storms calm down tonight, we have 3 more shows left of Aladdin so come along if you fancy some half term entertainment (including a Saturday matinee!)

Do you have any weird and wonderful hobbies you do outside your regular 9-5 or Instagram life? 🎭✨🧞‍♂️

📍 Come see us at Syresham Village Hall, NN13 5HE - tickets on sale at the door for 7:30pm start (and 2:30pm tomorrow)
AD - PR Gift 🌮 who fancies a takeaway? This ho AD - PR Gift 🌮 who fancies a takeaway?

This home taco kit from @smokeandbraai hit the spot last weekend as everything was *chefs kiss* 👌🏼 life has felt extremely hectic and full on lately, so having this kit delivered with everything you need for a taco night was just what I needed!

The kit contained the following:

🐷 House Dry Rubbed 18 Hour Oak Wood Smoked BBQ Pulled Pork Shoulder (sourced from @westlodgefarmfood)
🌮 Handmade Masa Corn Tortilla
🧅 Homemade Sweet Pink Pickled Red Onions
🌶 Homemade Pickled Red Chillies
🧂 Smoked Sea Salt and Lime Crema

The kit comes with full instructions on how to prepare everything (literally took us 20 mins to get everything together) and it had plenty to keep us satisfied and full - maybe too many tacos consumed for me but hey, my eyes are bigger than my belly 👀

Drop them a DM if you’re feeling a taco night and let them know who sent ya ✌🏼 would you fancy trying this?

📌 Save this post for tasty independent takeaways in Northamptonshire! 

#NavigatingNorthants #IndependentNorthants #NorthantsFoodGuide #NorthantsFood #TacoTakeaway
Have you ever visited the Silverstone Interactive Have you ever visited the Silverstone Interactive Museum? 👀 

Well it’s well worth a trip if you haven’t! I went a couple of Sundays ago with my dad who is a massive F1 fan. Considering I don’t know too much about the in’s and out’s of motorsport, I found the whole day and experience throughly interesting.

The experience dives into the history of Silverstone and there is so much to look at, read, lots of demonstrations and things to tinker with and plenty of photo opportunities (my camera roll is FULL) 📸 

I paid £40 for two adult tickets plus another £5 to get a souvenir book for my dad and I’d say it’s well worth the money. Be prepared for lots of walking! 

Would this be something you’d like to do? Feel free to ask any questions in the comments below! 👇🏻

📍 @silverstoneinteractivemuseum is at @silverstonecircuit NN12 8TN

📌 Save this post for unique days out in Northamptonshire 

#NavigatingNorthants #Northamptonshire #NorthantsDaysOut #ThingsToDoNorthants #Silverstone #SilverstoneCircuit
You can’t stop the beat 🎶 Ad - Press invite You can’t stop the beat 🎶 Ad - Press invite 

Oooh I love a good-feel theatre show! @hairsprayuktour is finally here at @royalderngate and this show has been one I’ve wanted to tick off my theatre-watch list for ages! 😍

It’s a fab show with plenty of singing, dancing, comedy and so many sparkles. It’s only here until Saturday so get yourself down if you can - full review landing on my website today but *spoiler* it’s 5 ⭐️ from me!

Have you seen the show yet or will you be heading down to Royal & Derngate to see it this week? I’m gonna have the songs stuck in my head all day!

#NicoleNavigates #NavigatingNorthants #RoyalAndDerngate #HairsprayUKTour #Northampton #TheatreReview
Who’s happy it’s the weekend after what’s fe Who’s happy it’s the weekend after what’s felt like the longest week in January? 🤪

I’ve had such a busy week that I’m looking forward to some down time. I’ve got some bottomless brunch plans today (all will be revealed 👀) and then Sunday is scheduled for some pamper time! 

Throwback to last weekend when I finally checked out the new taproom at @haveigotbrewsforyou in Towcester who have opened their taproom where you can shop AND enjoy a nice sit down drink - defo check it out 👌🏼

Tell me what your weekend plans are in the comments below. Don’t forget if you’re in Northants, you can use #NavigatingNorthants to share your pics (or #NavigatingLocal if you’re based afar) 👇🏻 

#NicoleNavigates #LoveTowcester #IndependentNorthants #Northamptonshire #ThingsToDoNorthants

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