Morocco

Moroccans really know how to eat. I've barely been back a day after five spent in Marrakech and two in the coastal town of Essaouira and already I'm craving their pancakes, tagines and couscous.

We stayed in riads during our stay which had beautiful roof terraces that provided some welcome respite from the bustling souks and pushy hawkers on the streets below. On our second night we braved the Place Djemaa el Fna- which translates literally as 'Assembly of the Dead'. This vast square is full of oddballs by day- snake charmers, storytellers and juice sellers -but by night it really comes alive as an open air restaurant with lines of stalls shrieking for your business.

The guide books advise you to ask for your meal on paper rather than using the cutlery provided as it is of questionable hygiene but this is near on impossible with the couscous and different dishes on offer.

After a few laps of the stands, fed up of the touts we settled on number 75 after being persuaded by a cheeky young Moroccan guy who reeled us in with his Mockney impression of Jamie Oliver. Despite being overcharged a bit, the food was still good value at about £10 and more importantly we didn't get sick after eating like kings on brochette kebabs, Merguez sausages, deep fried aubergine, couscous and plenty of bread.

The night before, we had an altogether experience dining at a restaurant called Tajna which is just up from the Mellah (Jewish quarter) and affords a good view of the Koutubia Mosque. It wasn't cheap but it eased us nicely into the holiday with a Mechoui lamb for two which was a huge shoulder of meat roasted in a barbecue.

Our routine was generally big breakfasts and small snacks in the day- these were typically cakes/ice cream to satisfy my sweet tooth but also to capitalise on the local specialities which favoured almonds, prunes, apricots and oranges.

Our breakfast at Riad Lacroix Berbere was very memorable-partly due to the view but also because the coffee and fresh orange juice were excellent, as were the crepe-like pancakes which we wolfed down with lashings of honey and jam. We tried a variety of different pancakes over the course of the holiday- one type being a Beghrir variety which had crumpet like bubbles on the top but I found these a bit soggy and favoured those pictured below which were lighter.

We caught a glimpse of a Moroccan bakery while being led round the city by a tour guide (who we didn't ask for!)

Lots of bread was eaten..

In Essaouira we went to a restaurant called Elizir on Rue Agadir which was recommended in Time Out. It opened at 7.30pm and we had some time to kill so browsed the jewellery souks for 10 minutes and returned to a queue under the archway. It was clearly a popular haunt- not surprising, the food was delicious, Moroccan but with a twist. Fortunately the host accommodated us with a smile and after being seated we were given an amuse bouche on the house of various tapenades- the pumpkin pulp was particularly good.

I had gnocchi with almond pesto to start and organic chicken tagine with figs and Gorgonzola for main. Rob had black cuttlefish risotto which looked spectacular and sea bass for main which also looked attractive. My chicken could have had more meat on it but the seasoning was spot on and the flavours intense. The best thing of all about this place is the quirky retro memorabilia, plastic furniture and trinkets on the walls and shelves. We bagged a window seat which was great to people spot the locals against the background of Latin/Moroccan jazz. I wish this restaurant was closer to home!

On our last day in Essaouira I bought some spices from a friendly seller in the square- they are definitely more skilled than their Marrachi peers and take a more softly softly approach to a sale . I sniffed all the jars that lined his shop and settled on the pot for grilled meats as I'm likely to get a fair bit of use out of it. The smell of it evokes memories of a wonderful trip and will hopefully help me recreate some of the delicious Moroccan dishes we tried back in London.

The spice seller and Rob with his beard - he was affectionately nick-named "Ali-Baba" by the locals.