Delights of Basingstoke may come as a surprise

If my English readers would stop sniggering at my headline, we'll move on.

Admittedly, the words "delightful" and "Basingstoke" don't get used much together. It's a modern town of tall office buildings, new-built apartment complexes and a sprawling industrial park standing astride the M3. It's the kind of place you drive past on your way to the numerous, pastoral delights of Hampshire. Unless, of course, you decide to spend a lot of time with someone who lives there ... in which case, you can't help but discover that this place has charms beyond its convenient transport links.

My greatest discovery, bar none, is the Berry Bros. and Rudd outlet store.
This name is one of the most august in British retail, wine merchants to royalty and society since 1698. Their shop on St. James street, just up from the palace, is like a time machine back to the 18th century, and their staff are acknowledged as some of England's best experts on French wines. Prices match the brand, of course. I have browsed at Berry's, bought the occasional Christmas gift for the added zing of the branded wrapping, but am more likely to head to the discount wine warehouse than buy much in St. James.

And then I discovered that this posher-than-posh establishment has its administrative offices, and sells all its bin ends for at least 25 per cent off, in a non-descript, light industrial commercial park just .89 miles from my boyfriend's flat. A fine stopping off point on a lunch time walk.

I adore wine shops. They provide vicarious tourism, their diverse labels sweeping you off to memories of France, past holidays in Italy, or aspirational excursions around Chile and Argentina. I am a believer in the concept of Terroir, thus find it magical that those thousands of bottles contain the captured essence of the planet itself. And the contents will taste delicious and complement a good meal. What more do you want?

To make things even better, Berry's staff here is of the same quality as the St. James flagship. Well-bred young men with floppy hair, posh accents and an encyclopedic knowledge of wine. Thus providing me the ability to have a little browse, a little chat, then get advised on which bit of the planet to take home to match that evening's dinner. This is also a great way to experiment with new things. The team steered me toward a piquepoul, redolent of the sharp sun and Southern lifestyle of the Languedoc. The grape's name translates as "lip stinger" and is known for its high acidity; therefore recommended for the pork belly my boyfriend was laying on that night. Not one of my favourite whites, but it did complement the meat and the buying process was half the fun. The Berry warehouse will, no doubt, be seeing a lot of us.

The second delightful discovery is a wonderful Italian restaurant in Basingstoke's Festival Place Shopping centre. We'd just emerged from seeing the new "Robin Hood", so I was already in a fine mood. (sword fights, romance, plucky heroines and Russell Crowe. Of course I loved it.) The mall just outside the cinema is filled with many of the usual chains; we were considering La Tasca when an unknown name beckoned: Ciao Baby Cucina.

A menu filled with authentic Italian favourites, definitely sliding towards the Southern Italian cuisine more familiar in Italian American restaurants. Open, friendly, modern setting. Moderate prices. And a staff so ridiculously friendly and helpful I thought that we had, indeed, been transported to the United States. Every taste was as it should be, including my veal ... a dish rarely done outside of really fine restaurants in the UK, probably due to the Brits' passionate animal rights stance. The manager was also our waiter for the evening, giving us insight into the place (it's actually a chain from South Africa with only two outlets in the UK, this one and one at Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherd's Bush) and recommending a pinotage so good we had to take the empty bottle home to save the label.

So there, my friends, are at least two reasons to visit Basingstoke. Stay tuned for more.