Memory 

Retrieving fishing floats abandoned in bramble bushes around ponds in Great Glemham. I think I must have been about 10, in the mid-70s when flares, long-collared shirts and Clarke’s brown sandals were in fashion. The floats were cut loose by older children after getting snagged when fishing for rudd and roach. They were like jewels – tantalizingly painted in bright coloured greens, reds and oranges. With friends, wearing armbands and carrying pen knives, we hauled a little rowing boat belonging to my grandmother from pond to pond around the village to cut them free and share them out as prized treasures. 

Landmark 

In the past I would have said our amazing built heritage: medieval churches and castles or moated farmsteads. But recently, in working with the painter Julian Perry on a pollard residency at the farm, I have become much more aware the many extraordinary veteran trees that lie hidden in Suffolk, often in plain sight. There are magnificent old oaks in places like Captains Wood near Sudbourne – but the crown of them all must be Staverton Thicks near Butley. 

Day out/attraction 

I love looking at the horses at the Suffolk Punch Trust at Hollesley - for a glimpse of these beautiful animals, whose feet trod and worked almost every acre of the county’s farmland. We owe them so much. The Suffolk Punch Trust and Suffolk Horse Society both work so hard to preserve the breed. Framlingham Horse Show is another great day out and annual attraction – and of course the Grand Parade at The Suffolk Showground.

Beach 

I have recently become fascinated by the long arc of shingle north of Dunwich, which seems so tenuous as a piece of land.On windy days in winter the lagoons beyond the beach are full of migratory seabirds. Further inland, there is a patch of Scot’s Pines, whose needles split the breeze into a soothing rush of wind, laced with the scent of resin. It’s a wild and beautiful place. 

Shop 

I always think we are spoilt for choice in east Suffolk with so many wonderful small independent stores. Inland, I tend to head to Fram for Leo’s Deli. Much of the farm feels held together by Fram DIY – and illuminated in part by Bradlaugh Electricals! On the coast, I head to O C Butcher once or twice a year for the treat of replacing worn out shirts and trousers with new ones. And Salter & King for an occasonal choice cut of meat. 

Place to eat 

To be honest, I cook a lot at home and at the farm using farmed and wild foods – and fantastic vegetables from a new no-till veg garden created by a friend Arthur Hobhouse. Recently I have been going to the Anchor in Woodbridge, which has an excellent and changing menu. It good vegan dishes too which my partner and I enjoy. It feels very metropolitan, after the quiet, star-lit valley at home.  

Pub 

The Crown in Great Glemham and, further afield, the Eel’s Foot at Eastbridge. After a long wet winter walk at dusk along the dykes and seashore, the Eel’s Foot offers a blissful refuge from the elements. I’ve become a bit of a groupie of the Kitchen Band and tend to head there for their monthly Sunday evening session – again, there is an excellent menu and good company to keep too. 

Walk 

I love the beautiful Upper Alde Valley. The writer Julian Tennsyon wrote that Suffolk owes many of the best parts of her character to her rivers, and I would tend to agree. I love the mid-winter months, when the land is stripped back to its pared-down contours and patterned arable fields. 

Export 

I hear Fen Farm Dairy butter has reached Tokyo! I think we underplay just how extraordinary the food and drink economy is in Suffolk – and how deeply rooted it is in the our local landscapes. I would argue strongly that our greatest single asset and export is this inter-linkage of the food and landscape economy, especially in east Suffolk. This is our single greatest asset and cultural export – it identifies Suffolk as one of the most outstanding places in the world.

Town/Village 

The Vale of Great Glemham and the village which quietly nestles within it. The son of George Crabbe, Suffolk’s gritty poet, described his family’s years in the village as ‘the Alhambra’ of his existence. There is a quiet beauty to the land in the Upper Alde Valley and Vale of Great Glemham that I love. But, perhaps like everyone, I also feel spoilt for choice. Sweffling, Benhall, Rendham and Stratford St Andrew are all within walking distance.