Mid Suffolk mon amour

Alright, I freely admit that, until I met Ros, the smallest place I had lived (apart from my university days) had a population in excess of seven million - a cosy little place called London. Now I spend my weekends - apart from those on the road with Ros - in Creeting St Peter, population 260 (and that's the entire parish!).

The area has no stunning scenery, no significant tourist attractions, no unusual wildlife. It does have a gentle pace, some charming villages and some great food. Locally produced pork products, cheese, beer and some marvellous farm shops and butchers. There is game in season, including rabbit, pheasant and quail, and some great pubs, serving decent beer and good food.

However, it is peaceful, well connected to London - the hourly train service takes less than an hour and a half to Liverpool Street via Ipswich, and there are also regular trains to Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Norwich and Peterborough - and now the rural authority with the best quality of life in the country.

According to a survey carried out by the Halifax, Mid Suffolk scores well for traffic flow, its low burglary rate, high life expectancy (79.9 years) and its weather (sunny and dry). House prices are reasonable, and more than 70% of its 87,000 residents live in villages and rural areas.

And so, quite by chance, I find myself living in a great place. Don't be jealous now...