I absolutely loved Marrakech, but by far the best experience was a day spent on a cooking course with Souk Cuisine. The course is run by the wonderful Gemma, who met us in the central square Jemaa el-Fnaa. After a brief introduction, she took us to the markets to buy the food we would need to prepare our meals. As we criss-crossed along narrow lanes, we learnt a lot about the city, the country and the culture. In pairs, we were then given a purse of money and a shopping list and sent off to buy some ingredients. We purchased a range of colourful fresh vegetables and olives. We then had to go and choose a chicken and wait for him to be dispatched and prepared. There’s no question that the ingredients were fresh!

Calling into a spice shop was a fascinating experience. Traditional medicines are still very much in use, and the owner talked us through his cures for all sorts of ailments. We also learnt about ‘tourist saffron’ and ’local saffron’. Saffron is the stigmas of crocus flowers, and as such it is incredibly valuable. An easy way for the unscrupulous trader to make money is to sell a cheaper, synthetic version in place of the real deal. Be careful what you buy!

Gemma also pointed recommended places to eat as we walked past. We returned to one of them for lunch the following day, and it really was excellent. Mechoui Alley has a row of little stalls serving the most tender roast lamb. Large pits are dug into the floor of the shop and each day a fire is set at the bottom. Several whole lambs are lowered down and slow roasted for several hours. When the meat is ready, you buy it by weight, and eat it off a plastic tray, with only some herbs and fresh bread to accompany it.

We then headed to a riad, where we would be preparing the feast. On the way, we stopped at a tiny supermarket. Inside, was jam packed with all the everyday essentials. The local culture is based on relationships and trust. As such, the supermarket is happy to give credit where needed, even to strangers, as they have faith that you will return and re-pay them.

We arrived at the beautiful riad to a row of bright, white aprons strung out on a line. After some much needed refreshments – cool glasses of water, mint tea, fresh bread and a delicious nutty dip – we got to work.

With the assistance of some Moroccan ladies, we learnt how to prepare salads, tagines, a sardine dish, couscous and some desserts. Although the ladies didn’t speak much English, they were incredibly helpful and showed me all sorts of tricks and techniques. There chopping skills were something to behold! I definitely didn’t get the knack of deep frying aubergines though, and I was swiftly moved on from that task!

Many Moroccan houses don’t have ovens, and people use a community oven instead. When our dishes were prepared, we took the trays along the road for the food to be cooked. While we were waiting, a few of us went to the bakery to collect some warm bread.

We then sat in the sun and enjoyed the fruits of our labour, over a long, lazy meal accompanied with a few glasses of local wine. Delicious.