marvelous marrakech - cooking under the banana trees

Piles of freshly harvested vegetables proudly displayed and no waste here. Organic fruits and vegetables in abundance on the local market.

In the morning we went veggie shopping in the medina with our arabic-french shopping list.
Back in the riad with baskets full of fresh ingredients, chef Rachida was ready to show us the tricks of the moroccan cuisine on the patio in the shade of the banana trees.

With help from Rachida and a bunch of lovely assistant cooks, dressed in adorable kitchen aprons, we made ourselves a delicious Moroccan lunch.

And Mohamed showed us how to prepare a pomegranate, without getting even one tiny red spot on his shirt.

Plenty of delicious food! More than enough for lunch and dinner, we cooked for a crowd.

Furthermore we invited Aisha for a moroccan crochet workshop and to join us for lunch on the roof terrace at Chambres d'Amis.

The home-cooked-finger-licking-good lunch was a feast!

cooking class for all senses

Strolling around the vegetable market is a feast for the eyes, the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables always makes me feel very happy.

That's the reason why there is a cooking workshop included in the program every time. The 'Marrakech experience' of doing your own shopping in the souk, is something that gives your visit to Marrakech an extra dimension. The wonderful scents, intense colors and pure beauty of daily Medina life on the market, is something you have to undergo with all senses.

A veggie cooking class with fresh and organic vegetables from the market therefore is a memorable happening!

During the Marvelous Marrakech workshop we will organize a veggie cooking class. After breakfast we take our baskets to shop our vegetables, fruits and spices at the local market in the Medina. When we return to the riad with baskets full of groceries, our chefs Rachida and Malika will show us the tricks and help us to prepare some mouth-watering Moroccan dishes in the courtyard of Chambres d'Amis.

After we have upgraded our culinary skills and our home cooked Moroccan meal is ready, lunch is served on the rooftop terrace. It's time to try and taste all the lovely flavors and enjoy a luscious lunch.

I'm eagerly looking forward to October...

Photo: april 2014

veggie shopping & veggie cooking

With its bounty of offerings on the local vegetable market in the medina, April’s 'green is the theme' was all about cooking on this day of the Green Gardens workshop.

In the morning we went with our arabic-french shopping list, made by Mohammed, to the souks. When we arrived back home with baskets full of fresh ingredients, chef Rachida was ready to give us a vegetarian cooking class on the patio in the shade of the banana trees.

With help from Rachida we added the seasonal green pops of color to our dishes and made ourselves a delicious Moroccan lunch, which we ate afterwards on the roof terrace and cooked for a crowd...

After a siesta by the plunge pool, we left at the end of the afternoon to the Secret Garden. The light is so beautiful at the end of the day and the garden is even more enchanting.

How to celebrate this green day more appropriate than in the greenest restaurant imaginable...? and Le Jardin's chocolate cake with a view on the garden and magical music was certainly a highlight of the evening.

green gardens workshop 2018

NEW TRAVEL workshops in Marrakech in 2018!

Besides the Cool Crochet Marrakech workshops, we will again organize Green Gardens workshops in April and October 2018.

In the last few years I've visited quite some stunning gardens and oases in the medina and fell in love with the amazing green gardens of Marrakech. For those out there, who can't or rather don't want to crochet, we will arrange an opportunity to discover Marrakech in an alternative way.
It's a great way to explore Marrakech and surroundings in a very authentic atmosphere!

PROGRAMME:
During the workshop we will visit and explore all kinds of gardens in and around Marrakech; An Arabic garden, a rose garden, botanical gardens, secret city gardens, city parks, hidden courtyards, an art garden, museum gardens and vegetable- and herb gardens.

To make the green theme complete, we will also organize a veggie cooking workshop under the banana trees (including vegetables & herbes shopping in de souk). We will make an adventurous bike ride to the gigantic palm grove and a roadtrip to the Atlas Mountains. All the participants will get an herbarium notebook, in which they can make daily sketches and collect green memories, such as leaves and seeds.

You will be surprised how green the Red City actually is. Urban jungle adventures with guided tours and delicious moroccan food, make this green travel-workshop unforgettable!

GREEN GARDENS WORKSHOP
Six days in Marrakech! Green is the theme. Price € 725,00 per person.
The price is based on a shared twin bedroom and excluding flight ticket. It's not possible to book a single room.
It's always possible to book extra nights, before or after the workshop (info@chambresdamis.com)
INCLUDED:
- transfer from airport Marrakech to Riad Chambres d'amis (v.v.)
- shared twin bedroom (5 nights) including breakfast in Chambres d'Amis. (no single rooms available)
- 3 dinners & 4 lunches (drinks are not included)
- veggie cooking workshop
- collecting green memories in a herbarium
- all excursions in and around Marrakech

This workshop is a real treat for nature-loving enthusiasts. An adventurous journey to Marrakech, you can make on your own, while you will be 'pampered' and only have to enjoy and relax.

SPRING GREEN GARDENS WORKSHOP arrival: Thursday 19th of April 2018 - leaving: Tuesday 24th of April 2018
AUTUMN GREEN GARDENS WORKSHOP arrival: Thursday 11th of October 2018 - leaving: Tuesday 16th of October 2018

If you would like to join one of the workshops, please send me an e-mail; info@woodwoolstool.com
Both workshops are a collaboration with my friend Ank van der Pluijm, owner of hotel CHAMBRES D'AMIS, green oasis in the Medina of Marrakech and our 'basecamp' during the workshops.

(more pictures of our previous green garden workshops below)