Had the best meal yet on Friday at Est Est Est in Newcastle on Friday night - the carpaccio of smoked halibut was something that I'd never tried before. I know they're a chain, blah blah with all the McDonalds and Pizza Hut connotations, but the food was fantastic. I'll certainly be back, especially for the tiramisu...

Attempted to make Polish rye bread on Saturday, which didn't exactly work out as planned. I didn't believe the recipe when it said that the bread needed 3 hours proving plus another 1 1/2 to rise. That may be why my rolls are like stone....I'm going back to Jamie Oliver. Speed is everything.

Still got cravings for steak and kidney pie, which weren't abated by the fact that Rob found a chicken and mushroom pie at the Farmers' Market at Tynmouth (as well as two pork pies which vanished before I could set eyes on them). I need to find some good recipes...