Where can you plan a beautiful wedding, shop for stylish homeware or sample the latest dining trends -- all in front of a beautiful mediaeval backdrop? Zeena Lemon knows.

What is shopping heaven? As a self-confessed shopaholic, I think I am well placed to answer. A good selection of independently owned shops in a gorgeous setting is the key to the retail pearly gates.

We all love the High Street but it's particularly satisfying to shop in a place that offers a tantalising chance to find something unique and individual no one else will have.

And if the place itself has a genuine atmosphere of its own and tempting places to rest and restore shopping-weary feet, then it's a definite utopia.

So that's why when I get the chance to look for something special, whether a gift or a new outfit, I head to the gloriously inviting, wonderfully historic parts of Worcester that are New Street and Friar Street.

Not only is it a great place to spend time soaking up the atmosphere of one of the best-preserved parts of the city -- it is no coincidence that the famous Victorian Fayre is held there each year -- the two conjoined streets are home to some of Worcester's best shops and restaurants, so you can enjoy fine dining as well as retail therapy.

Taking a slow walk from the top of Friar street to the bottom of New Street could easily take all afternoon if you stop to browse and enjoy the black-and-white timber-framed buildings that rest higgledy-piggledy alongside each other, providing a snapshot of how life would have looked in Worcester a few hundred years ago.

But back then you would not have found the fabulous designer boutiques, dress agencies, exclusive interior design shops and bridal, gift and jewellery shops that now jostle for space next to eateries from around the world.

Mexican, Italian, Thai and French cafes and restaurants tempt with delicious daytime and evening menus and compel you to just sit and enjoy life at a different pace.

So when you are next in Worcester, make sure you look beyond the High Street and discover one of Worcester's best-kept secrets.