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 · 29th October 2021

Shrek the Musical by NMTC Review – Royal & Derngate

AD – This is part of a press review for Royal & Derngate

I waited all my life… to watch a fully staged production of Shrek the Musical! 

And on Wednesday 27th October, that dream came true! 

This production was performed by local theatre company, Northampton Musical Theatre Company at Royal & Derngate who are well known for being one of the oldest surviving amateur companies in the country and have been entertaining audiences for over 100 years.

After a hiatus last year due to the dreaded C word, this was their first performance since 2019 and they have come back with a modern broadway showstopper that’s heaps of fun for all the family! 

The musical is based on the Dreamworks film, Shrek, which tells the story of Shrek, an Ogre who lives happily on his own in a swap – until his life is interrupted by a load of fairy tale creatures who are evictees of the city of Duloc, banished by Lord Farguaad who sets him on a journey to rescue Princess Fiona from the tallest tower… if you’ve watched the film, you know the rest… 

Lord Farquaad and Princess Fiona

Try not to base it too much on the film though; as much as the story is still familiar to the film, the musical is a whole different kettle of fish that will leave you feeling entertained. 

First impression, once the curtain opened, was how amazing the sets were, which are made by Scenic Projects Ltd – it’s on West End level for me in terms of aesthetic and just how many set changes there were – particularly loved Princess Fiona’s tower! 

Costumes were also equally as impressive; so many bright colours and costumes to make you go “wow!”. These were supplied by Molly Limpet’s Theatrical who managed to ensure the costumes of the main characters were in tune with what we know and recognise from the film. 

As the first act rolled around, overall; this is a strong ensemble cast who are well-tuned and oiled. They know what they’re doing and everyone is alert and engaged as a supporting ensemble to bring the stage to life.

One thing I will say as perhaps constructive criticism is that the first act felt quite sleepy overall – especially the transitions from one scene to the next which had quite a lot of pause in-between. 

I found out afterward that the company did a matinee show earlier on in the afternoon and I wondered whether this was why – both my friend and I agreed it was lacking in energy for us as we sat in the interval hoping the energy would pick up. 

However, the second act improved and was FAR better and we felt the energy lift on stage. I’m unsure what it was, but this was just something we sensed and we both came away saying how much better it got. 

But this isn’t a discredit to the actors on stage because there were some very notable performances.

Shrek, Donkey and Fiona

The man of the night for me was, of course, the leading character Shrek, who was played by Ian Hammond-Stark – you couldn’t have picked a better actor to step into the shoes of this iconic character!

The comedic timing was spot on, his voice has a lush baritone depth to it and his shining moment came when he projected the big, long belt in the number “Build A Wall”. 

Donkey was played by Luke White, who carried the show with his cartoon-like charisma on stage and you can see the actor just LOVES playing this role – I would too!

Whilst I couldn’t understand some of the words he was singing in some of his song numbers (and that’s coming from someone who listens to the soundtrack on the daily) he was a great addition to this cast. Princess Fiona was played by Ashleigh Standage, who was a vision in emerald green on stage and she had a lovely, soft singing voice – I really enjoyed the trio number “I Know It’s Today” with the young and teen Fionas. 

I also found Ashleigh and Ian’s character chemistry on stage endearing – they’ve been cast very well together!

Another highlight for me was Ama Scuotto who played Lord Farquaad who had me giggling the whole way through the show when he was present. How he’s managed to perform on his knees throughout the whole show to mimic his height is beyond me! 

Princess Fiona and the mice in “Morning Person”

The cast for me was definitely stronger together in big numbers for me; numbers including “Freak Flag” were outstanding – I love how upbeat the song is and they nailed it – I was also very distracted looking at every single actor on stage and figuring out who was playing who!

I was also praying that there would be a tap dance in “Morning Person” and they didn’t disappoint – it was fabulous!

Jay Upton was vocally the best female singer on the night for me; what amazing pipes! Another star who shone on stage for me was Sam Dolby as Ugly Duckling with her facial expressions and equally as good of a singing voice. 

I must not forget the Happy People chorus too who were brilliant in sync with each other – big shout out to my college friend, Rebecca Fisher, who I noticed straight away – she’s always been a great actor with great reactions! 

I’m not sure who I need to credit here but the little girl in the blue team which according to the programme, was the children’s team performing on Wednesday night, made my friend and I smile so much! What a little star she is – she was loving life being the smallest of the cast dancing away to all the songs! 

Overall, this is certainly an uplifting show that is great for families with small children to enjoy during the half term and it’s clear the company have a lot of fun on stage together, especially after it being so long since they last performed together.

You’ll laugh, you’ll reminisce over the characters and iconic one-liners (onions have layers, ogres have layers etc) and it’s only in Northampton for more shows – whilst you’re there, why not enjoy some Fairytale Candy Floss and Swamp Slush!

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Your Guide to Autumn Walks in Northamptonshire

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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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