The summer is yet to really get started in the North East weather-wise - but, far from being afraid of a little deluge of rain here or there, Mrs Eats dragged yours truly out for a Sunday stroll in Northumberland.
Thankfully the options are practically endless for a good pint and some Sunday scran in this beautifully green county.
After an amble along Hadrian's Wall, we found ourselves - rather aptly - at Heddon-on-the-Wall right at the end of the Military Road.
On the very fork of the road lies the Three Tuns, a traditional pub which remains a popular destination for the locals. The pub has one cosy L-shaped room, and that is all. The bar area is to your left as you walk through the door, while the seating area is round the corner.
With Sunday lunches on offer, and a steady stream of hungry customers visiting that afternoon, the pool table had been rolled into a corner and tables set up for diners.
As Mrs Eats enjoyed a thirst-quenching glass of ginger beer, I settled down with an excellently-kept pint of Harviestoun's Bitter & Twisted.
With homemade vegetable soup (£3.95) the only starter on offer, we decided to head straight for the main course.
Beef, lamb, pork and chicken are the roasts available - with 'small' (£7.25), 'regular' (£8.25), 'children's' (£5.25), and even 'supersize' (£10.95) options available.
While She Who Must Be Fed went for the rather conservative regular pork, the competitor inside me couldn't help but opt for the supersize - which wouldn't sound out of place on an episode of Man v Food.
Mrs Eats commented that her pork was lovely and tender, while the crackling had just the right level of salt and bite.
As for my supersized meal, I was told that lamb alone would not suffice because of the limited amount of meat available, given that all of it is cooked fresh. Instead, I got to sample the beef as well - and both meats were enjoyable, though the lamb was the more succulent of the two.
The regular-sized plates were generous enough - with roast potatoes, mash, cabbage, peas, carrots, mashed potato and Yorkshire - but my meal was so large it was served on a platter.
Two Yorkshires flanked a row of roast potatoes, mountains of mash, and copious amounts of veg. And, while the meat and potatoes were excellent, the rest of the accompaniments were lacking in flavour.
The decision for the kitchen staff to pour copious amounts of gravy directly on to the food, rather than serve it in a separate boat, was also a negative as far as Mrs Eats was concerned.
Despite having eaten what felt like my own body weight in meat, I had heard through the grapevine that the Three Tuns had become famed for their homemade cheesecakes (£4.75). And, once I heard it was a Mars cheesecake on this particular Sunday, I simply had to try it.
Almost as large as my main course, although not quite, a thick crumbly biscuit base was topped with thick-set sweetened cheese and filled with chunks of Mars bar. It was as rich a dessert as I've ever had, but it was worth it.
She Who Must Be Fed, meanwhile, opted for the Belgian waffle with vanilla ice cream and stewed summer fruits (£3.95). The waffle was crisp on the outside but fluffy in the middle, and the tartness of the berries which accompanied it cut through the sweetness of the dessert.
Stuffed from our Sunday scran and shattered after our morning stroll, we left the Three Tuns extremely satisfied but in desperate need of a late-afternoon nap, too.
