Streets ahead?

The citizens of Stockbridge in Hampshire must be surprised and delighted that their high street was voted Best Foodie Street in Britain in Google’s inaugural Street View Awards. Perhaps not overly surprised, however, judging by a sheepish comment from Google’s press office to the effect that local gastro-guerrillas ‘went to a lot of effort to get interest up and increase their numbers’. As if to dispel any doubts on the matter, the chairman of Stockbridge Parish Council, in her victory address in the Andover Advertiser offered, ‘congratulations to everyone involved in raising people’s awareness of this competition’.

Still, everyone’s happy as the town gets an award, Google Maps gets a plug in SpectatorScoff and I get to spend a day in Stockbridge. Best of all, you can go there right now, even as you nibble your Kit-Kat in front of your laptop because Stockbridge high street now stars in its own version of The Truman Show.