Visiting Marrakech for us was all about the food. Sure, wandering the human-sized maze that is the medina souk is entertaining. Yes, the historic and architecturally beautiful riads are an eye opener. And of course visiting designer Yves Saint-Laurent's Majorelle Gardens and taking in the variety of cacti collected from around the globe is nothing short of captivating. But for years now Sjane and I have loved tagines, couscous, eggplant salads, pastillas and liberally applying MasterFood's "Moroccan Seasoning" on most dishes we create. So for us, a full day Moroccan cooking class was a must-do whilst in this North African country. This experience was fulfilled thanks to our dear friends Lucy and Toby. Thank you both. We can't wait to share our recipes and ideas with you when we return home. The cooking class we selected offered a variety of different activities throughout the day. One of the first was a spice masterclass. Cheap fake RayBans on, and with paint over the lens. We're ready to go! (Its fortunate they were RayBans and not Oakleys... I would've had an aneurysm). Our host Michel strolled around with assorted spices, conserves and oils wafted under our noses, and we had to guess what they were. First one was easy: cumin followed by ginger. After that it was all downhill. We decided that our perceived astute sense of smell was nothing more than our imaginations. Sjane however, jagged the hardest one of all: ras el hanout - a unique blend of 60+ different spices that is crucial to all Moroccan cooking. One point for Sjane. As with most things, it was only a matter of time before we turned it into a competition. I took the early lead when my knife skills on an onion earned the approval of our Chef Fatiha. Sjane pulled it back with a well-kneaded dough. Some would say that I turned dirty when, (after "over-caramelizing" - read burnt - my onion and spice mix), I sprayed Sjane in the nose and eyes with the juices of an orange rind. It was an accident I swear! My julienned orange rinds earned me another nod of approval, which turned to dismay once more when I over-caramelized (burnt) my semolina bread as well. Sjane instantly started gloating and flapping about her bread was lovely and tanned, and insisted she get a photo of me with my charred loaf. Moments later she strolled away chatting with another student, only to return to a bit of char on her precious tanned loaf as well. All in good fun. As with all touristy day trips like this; it's often the other travellers you meet that adds much to your enjoyment of the day. Our company for the day consisted of our friend Kim (a photography enthusiast from Geelong who we bumped into at every turn), Ellen and Steve (New Yorkers who insisted that Sjane's hair was the most beautiful and captivating colour they'd ever seen, and that I looked like a movie star), and Ken and Tony (fellow Brisbaneans who met through camera club and were travelling Morocco for a photographic holiday). The afternoon was spent gradually getting fuller and fuller on our beef and pear tagines, our caramelized semolina breads, and Fatiha's excellent salads and desserts. Conversation ebbed and flowed as the sun set down over the orchard and olive grove. A really fulfilling day we both loved and will remember fondly.