The Coffee and Tea Drinking Society is one of Leicester Hidden Gems! They are a little independent…read moreoffering affordable alternatives to the mainstream high street fashion. Low cost, DIY and recycling is very much there ethos. The Staff are friendly and will offer you a cup of tea or coffee while you browse there many vintage and retro clothes ranging £3-£10 and there second hand clothes which include many high street name for as little as 50p-£3! As well as being a kookie little shop with a lovely atmosphere the shop is something of a Curiosity with its many strange and wonderful bric-a-brac items! Before i went along i was told by a friend that 'this is the best curiosity shop they have seen in ten year' and i would very much agree!

Today, I visited a Age UK second-hand shop in Market Harborough with the intention of trying on…read morefive items. However, I was informed that it was not permissible to try more than two items at a time. I endeavored to remain composed despite feeling quite upset. At the checkout, I politely inquired whether I could return the shoes if they proved to be too large. Although I had tried them on in the shop and found them too big, I thought they might be suitable for my mother. In response, I received an extremely rude and elevated reply. In my twenty years residing in this country, this was the first occasion I felt unwelcome as a foreigner. This experience was particularly unexpected coming from a second-hand shop and especially from an elderly lady.

The best charity shop in Harborough now Rainbows has gone. Lots of bargains in clothes, household,…read morebooks, CDs and toys & games, with some childrenswear. Also new cards, hosiery etc and occassional nic-nacs. The ladies who work there are lovely, friendly and always welcoming. I find it almost impossible to pass without popping in, and rarely come away empty handed, especially if I have the children with me as they love delving through the baskets of little toys under the shelves. The ladies will also happily clamber into the window display or delve into the storeroom if you're looking for something in particular, and always price things reasonably.

A lovely garden centre with a good range of stock, also selling garden ornaments and gifts/cards…read more Nice cafe area serving hot food/snacks, bit on the pricey side for what you get, but a very tasty treat.

Bosworths garden centre is a bit of a hidden gem in Burton Latimer as many people do not realise it…read moreis there! There is an indoor area and an outdoor area and they also sell hot tubs. I looked everywhere for some reasonable priced but full hanging baskets last year and found them here. They were so much more better value than anywhere else I had tried. As well as the usual plants, shrubs and flowers, there is a gift area. The gifts are very pretty and range from baby items, wooden crafted items, cards, ceramics and jewellery. They are quite expensive, but if you are looking for something a bit different to the usual high street stores then you might find something here. There is also a fantastic cafe and the food is gorgeous, with things like home made soup or jacket potatoes on the menu. You get loads for your money and the home made cakes are worth popping in for alone! There is plenty of free parking in the car park outside and customer toilets too.

If you are serious about spending good money on quality antiques this place will be your guide on a…read morebeautiful - if expensive journey. Truly lovely furniture that will grace your home for years to come. Discreet service. West Haddon is a nice village. Good pubs, lovely florist. Nice walks.

This little shop is a hidden treasure. Located on Montagu Street (Kettering) this shop is often…read moreovershadowed by the mass amounts of take-away shops and hairdressers. Exhibit is a vintage-inspired shop perfect for buying that little special gift for someone, or just treating yourself. Items are slightly expensive compared to over retail stores but these originality of these gifts make them great investments. Open: Monday to Friday 10am to 5:30pm. Saturday 10am to 5pm. Sundays: closed.

The latest pound shop addition to Leicester is Pound Plus. The shop took over MVC earlier this year…read moreand it seems has been a roaring success so far. Like many poundshops its often very crowded with little room for space down each aisle. However there are a lot of items of offer including well known brands like Colgate or Fairy., Whilst the store isn't as big as say Poundland down the street there does seem to be a lot more variety here especially on food items. Cheap sweets and crisps are essential when you're throwing a party or just for your kids lunch box and they come through here with all the popular brands. The staff though bring down the tone of the store in my opinion. They seem rather unfriendly and just bored with their job and there's really only three tills that are very small and have people queueing right round the store blocking up the aisles as they do. The products you buy are usually very good though be careful on trying to save a few quid on some items as the cheap alternative is awful [power tack for one - a cheap version of blue tack].

Watford Gap is a motorway service along the M1 by J16 and 17, operated by Roadchef…read more It is separated into Northbound and Southbound depending on the direction of travel. I visited their Southbound services. On both sides, there is the traditional Roadchef offering of McDonald's, WHSmith and Costa. The Southbound location has the additional offering of Leon. It is quite small for a motorway service station in general, and the seating area is limited, but given the fact it's only 10 miles in each direction to the next motorway services, Rugby and Northampton, it's forgivable. Certainly not the largest or most attractive motorway service location, but certainly does the job, the 24-7 McDonald's is useful as it provides hot food that can cater to dietary requirements including my gluten-free requirements at all hours of the day (or night). I wouldn't stop here though unless directly targeting either McDonald's or LEON as there is much better along the M1. 3*

Very good place with a plenty of different food. Coco di…read moremama Italian pasta 5 Stars Fresh food caffe 5stars Chozen Noodles Asian food 5 stars

I've recently discovered that I absolutely love gardening. Maybe love should be replaced with the…read moreword obsession. What started out as only a few cute plants, you know, just to "green up the place," has morphed into living room JUNGLE obsession. Oh, us silly Americans. Go big or go home. The good news is that this obsession led me to find Podington Garden Centre. Quite literally in the smack dab of nowhere, this place is gardener's playground! I only wanted two things: a couple of 60 lt bag of organic soil for my courgettes and tomato plants. I wasn't expecting to find gardening nirvana. I'm pretty sure Jesus would shop here. Firstly, this centre is absolutely gorgeous. You have to hand it to these Podintons, they love their gardening! The centre is big, but not Home Base gigantic, and the staff are knowledgeable and genuinely care about their products. I was also shocked to find that the Guinness World Record for Largest Garden Spade was on display! Not sure if it was on the local garden tour, but there it was! I took a picture as proof, too. http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/4000/largest-garden-spade Earlier in the day, I called to request a hold on two bags of organic soil. It may seem silly, but after two disappointing visits to Homebase (thanks LOADS you a-holes for lying to me with your BS reservation!) I wanted to make sure my soil was still there! When I approached the counter my soil was already on a trolly, with my name, patiently waiting up front. Seriously, that's service! HUGE KUDOS. My only complaint is, literally, how far away they are from Leamington. It also feels like you're traveling into the middle of nowhere, when suddenly, this place just appears! Absolutely worth the trip. I can't wait to go here again and buy more of everything!

Podington Garden centre is a really nice place to have a browse around in the summer even if you…read moredon't plan on buying anything! It's quite small compared with some garden centres although there is a good range of shrubs and trees for sale outside. There is a lovely gift area that also sells foodstuffs such as home made jams,marmalades, cakes and old fashioned style sweets. It has a lovely oldly worldy feel to it. At Christmas time they also have a fantastic range of lights and decorations, although they are quite expensive compared with larger department stores that sell the same sort of things. There is plenty of parking just outside the centre and there is a lovely cafe inside. Well worth a visit even if you are just browsing.