Right, so let's kick off this newly repurposed blog with a post about the top 5 things I love about Northampton:

1. Northampton oozes history. That's the main contributing factor to it being a "proper town" in my book. Northampton was once the UK's premier shoe manufacturing centre and the evidence of this is everywhere from the many former factory buildings that have been converted into residential apartments, to the abundance of shoe shops selling (strangely) mostly men's shoes. There's even a museum devoted to shoes and Northampton's long history with them.
2. It has a market square - another contributor to Northampton's "proper town" status. Even if you don't buy your fruits and vegetables from the market every week, the market square provides the town with a social hub, a kind of central meeting space where people naturally congregate and from which the town spreads and evolves. It's also a great place to buy fresh cheap fruits and vegetables!
3. Northampton has some great pubs with real character, many of which serve real ales and have excellent events. Some of my favourites are (in no particular order): 
• The Wig and Pen on St. Giles' Street, which has a large revolving selection of real ales, regular beer and cider festivals, live music and excellent pub food; 
• The Lamplighter on Overstone Road, which has a smaller but still good selection of real ales, a great kind of local/neighbourhood pub atmosphere, live music, beer festivals and a weekly pub quiz; 
• The Picturedrome on Kettering Road, an ex-cinema that now makes an excellent venue for live music and stand-up comedy and they still show movies on a Monday evening with free entry and free popcorn.
• Sazerac on Castilian Street makes fantastic cocktails and although it can get a bit busy at the weekends, it's a great place for people watching with a margarita in your hand. If you're feeling brave try the 'grand chilli', it's like a classic margarita over ice with a fiery dose of chilli.
4. Northampton's quirky independent shopping scene is a real bonus. Not yet overrun by the steady creep of high street chains that take over our towns, Northampton still has a thriving community of independent boutiques and retailers. My favourite places to go for a browse around the shops are: 
• Most Marvellous on Kettering Road, a treasure trove of vintage and hand-made furniture, bric a brac, clothing and art. You can spend a whole day browsing around the collectibles in here, stopping for a cake and coffee in Nanna's Kitchen and then attending one of the regular craft events.
• The Wardrobe in Ridings Arcade is a really cute boutique selling funky retro-styled clothing and accessories at very affordable prices. 
• Dychurch Lifestyle on St Giles' Street has recently moved from its previous home in Dychurch Lane. Having started as a small shoe retailer they have now expanded into selling clothing, accessories and homewares, choosing the best from the collections of the brands they stock and creating a really friendly, knowledgeable ambience.
5. For a foodie like me, Northampton's enormous selection of eateries is like a culinary adventure playground. However with so many new places to try it's difficult to find time to try them all and I've already found a few tried and tested favourites that I return to time and again when I'm entertaining friends:
• Felix Yu on Castilian Street serves the best Chinese food west of Xinjiang. Everything I've tried on the menu here is delicious and authentic (and I grew up in Hong Kong, so I should know!)
• Marmaris on St Giles' Street is not your average kebab shop. The kebabs served here are unrecognisably different to the kind you get in the ubiquitous takeaway kebab shop that I wouldn't even call Marmaris a kebab shop. At Marmaris you can get some of the most tender chargrilled meat, served up with homemade flatbreads and grilled onions in pomegranate juice. Delicious!