Visited the farmers' market at Monument today, which had a great selection of meat, cheese and cakes (but no Cumberland sausage man). I bought a small Bedale cheese from the Swaledale Cheese people. The bit I tried tasted a bit like a slightly less crumbly Cheshire. More info to follow, after I've had a proper road-test...

I really like farmers' markets. There's one at Tynemouth Station that I go to every 3rd Saturday in the month (no it's not me being bizarre with my shopping habits, that's the only week that it's on) which is excellent too for things that you really can't find in the supermarket like proper smoked kippers, and homemade pies. Along with the whole environmentally-friendly side of things, the stuff they sell really does taste good. There's ones across the country so why not check one out?