Grestes return as Peter settles into jail

Never before has sharing a loaf of bread meant more to Lois and Juris Greste than when they sat down with their jailed son, Peter, on a final visit to his high security Egyptian prison.

"This was no ordinary piece of bread," Mrs Greste said.

"It was a sourdough, and so he had actually had to build the culture up from scratch with the basics - sugar, water and flour."

Mrs Greste recalled a grin growing across her son's face as he presented the gift.

The trio used a plastic knife to cut off several pieces to share during a precious 45-minute visit, which can only happen every 15 days.

Mr and Mrs Greste have recently returned to Australia after spending about two months in Cairo after Peter's conviction for aiding the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood and spreading false news that portrayed Egypt as being in a state of "civil war".

He was sentenced to seven years behind bars in June.

"He's incredible," Mrs Greste said.

"I think he's settled to the fact that he's going to be in prison until this is over."

The journalist has spent nine months in Cairo's high security Tora Prison after he was arrested with two Al Jazeera colleagues, Mahamed Fadel Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, in December 2013.

Fahmy received the same sentence as Greste, while Mohamed was handed a 10-year jail sentence.

Mr Greste recalled the "stomach churning" security measures that greeted them outside the prison, including three tanks and scores of gunmen gazing from the buildings above.

"It is, from our point of view, a very tense place," he said.

The family launched an appeal against Peter's sentence in July.

Mr Greste urged Prime Minister Tony Abbott to make time to meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi while the two are in New York for UN meetings.

"Perhaps remind president al-Sisi that while this matter, this case goes on, clearly Australian-Egyptian relationships can never be the same as they were before December last year."

During their visits Peter revealed he had been buoyed by letters of support, after the family received more than 2000 emails in an account they had set up for him.

Many of those were printed and taken into the jail, Mrs Greste added.

They have become vital for Peter during his "down days", she said.

"He goes and flips through those letters and finds them very uplifting."

She said the appeal process was moving slowly.

"At the moment the documents are in and we're waiting for a date. That is basically where it is at."