The EDPs Five minute interview with PIN Director

22nd January 2009
Jane Miller is a Director of Produced In Norfolk and has lived in Norfolk for 23 years.
What's your idea of perfect happiness in Norfolk?
An hour or two in my hammock, under the beech tree in our garden with my family telling me funny stories, in-between snoozes.
How do you relax in the county?
On balmy days, sailing, (I am now a fair-weather sailor only) my favorite destination is Surlingham or Rockland Broad, we usually fall asleep on the deck after lunch, very relaxing. On cooler days I love long walks through the woods, there are lots of small woods nearby or we’ll go to the Lion’s Mouth, near Felbrigg Hall.  When the wind isn’t blasting in from the East, wandering on beaches is a favourite with me. I enjoy taking photos wherever we go in the countryside and use these for reference for my paintings. Sometimes I find time to ride, or go for a cycle.
With which Norfolk character do you most identify?
I deeply admire the hard work and dedication that resulted in the preservation  and development of the wonderful Wheatfen Broad by Ted Ellis and his fellow workers.
If you weren't talking to us now, what would you be doing?
I would be consulting with our members about our exciting new Produced In Norfolk Farmer’s Market that will be starting at Wroxham Barns in the Spring.
What do you miss most when you leave Norfolk?
I miss the clear night skies, the clean air, the characters I know, and our home.
How would you spend your ideal day in Norfolk?
I would wake early to a warm day and take a coffee to the bottom of our garden and sit quietly with it, overlooking the marshes and watching out for Kingfishers and Treecreepers. Next would be a few hours painting in my Norwich studio, followed by a delicious Produced In Norfolk picnic lunch, with my family, of pork pies and smoked seafood, washed down with apple juice, eaten on the hills near Salthouse. Later on, we’d walk through the pine woods and dunes at Holkham and canoe near Wells, stopping for a snack on the dunes as the sun  goes down and the beach becomes deserted.
What's your earliest Norfolk memory?
My Mother and her family came from Norfolk so my earliest memories of Norfolk are of my Grandfather (he grew up in one of the houses featured in “Kingdom” in Swaffham) and my Mother talking about places and people in Norfolk. I first came to Norfolk on a sailing holiday with my Norfolk born husband, we had a beautiful traditional Broads cruiser and explored the Northern rivers, I remember being particularly delighted with Hickling Broad.

In moments of weakness . . .
Real coffee with cream.
What would be your motto?
My motto is “Do as you would be done by.”
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