Morning
Private car out of Fes
Pick-up at your riad or the nearest medina gate, then usually under an hour's drive into the countryside.
Fes, Morocco· Concierge · Mon–Sat · 09:00–18:00 GMT+1
A farm cooking day near Fes
Spend a day with a rural family in the countryside around Fes: pick vegetables from the kitchen garden, bake bread in a clay oven, cook a country tagine over charcoal and eat outside. A private car takes you there and back. Allow about 6–7 hours including the drive. It suits families and repeat visitors.
- Private or small-group
- Menu agreed with you
- Recipes to take home
What the class is like
The countryside around Fes is olive groves, wheat fields and orchards, and a lot of what the city eats comes from there. This day trades the medina's narrow lanes for open air: a rural family's kitchen garden, a clay oven in the yard and a tagine cooked slowly over charcoal.
The exact farm depends on the season and your date, typically towards the olive country between Fes and Meknes or the orchards towards Sefrou. What stays the same is the rhythm: pick, bake, cook and eat outside together. It works well for families and anyone who wants a break from the city.
Best for: Families with children who need space; Repeat visitors to Fes; Anyone who wants to see rural Morocco.
- How long
- About 6–7 hours including the drive
- Where
- A farm or rural home in the countryside around Fes, reached by private car
- Diets
- Vegetarian, Vegan
- Families
- Children welcome
Bhalil, one of the hill villages above the Saïss plain outside Fes.
BhalilHow the class runs
A typical running order. Times are from the start of the class and shift with your group and the season.
+1:00
Garden and groves
Walk the plot with your hosts and pick what's ready: herbs, tomatoes, peppers, broad beans, oranges or olives depending on the season.
+1:45
Bread in the clay oven
Knead country bread and harcha and bake them in the outdoor clay oven or on a griddle over the fire.
+2:30
Tagine over charcoal
Build a country tagine of chicken or vegetables and set it on a charcoal brazier for a slow cook.
+4:00
Lunch outside
Eat with your hosts: bread, olive oil, salads, the tagine and mint tea.
Afternoon
Back to Fes
Drive back to the city by mid or late afternoon, or continue to another stop.
What you cook
Country tagine over charcoal
A tagine of chicken or vegetables cooked slowly on a charcoal brazier, the traditional way before gas stoves.
Farmhouse bread and harcha
Wholemeal and semolina breads baked in a clay oven or on the griddle, eaten warm with olive oil.
Seasonal salads
Whatever you picked, cooked or raw: a tomato and onion salad in summer, broad beans or carrots with cumin in spring.
Olive oil, honey and mint tea
The farm's own olive oil and, where available, honey, with fresh mint tea.
Private or small-group
Private
Your party, your driver and a rural host family. The usual way to do this day.
Small-group
Occasionally run as a small group on fixed dates; ask and we'll check.
Dietary needs
Easy to run vegetarian or vegan: the tagine becomes vegetable-only and the bread is made with oil. Gluten-free guests can eat everything except the bread. Tell us in advance so the host family can plan.
Good to know
Rural homes are simple; bring sun protection and closed shoes. What you pick depends on the season; spring and autumn are the richest. It pairs well with a visit to Sefrou or the Roman ruins of Volubilis on the same day.
Before you knock
The questions people ask us most before they plan a trip.
How far is the farm cooking day from Fes?
The farms we use are typically under an hour's drive from the Fes medina, in the countryside towards Meknes or Sefrou. We confirm the location and drive time when we quote.
Is transport included?
Yes. It runs with a private car and driver from your riad or the nearest medina gate, and is quoted as one package.
Can we combine the farm day with sightseeing?
Yes. It's easy to pair with Sefrou or with Volubilis and Meknes. Tell us what you'd like and we'll build the day.
Keep cooking
Vegetarian & veganMoroccan home cooking without meat, and nothing missing: bissara, cooked salads, a vegetable tagine and seven-vegetable couscous with tfaya.See the class
Bread & the ferranKnead khobz, fold msemen and griddle harcha, then carry your loaves through the lanes to the neighbourhood wood-fired oven, the way Fes still bakes.See the class
Family & kidsA shorter, hands-on class built for children: kneading msemen, rolling kefta, shaping ghriba cookies and pouring mint tea from a height, with lunch at the end.See the classPair it with: Sefrou day trip from Fes, Fes to Volubilis and Meknes, The Fes food tour, a guided tasting walk, Moroccan cooking classes: what to expect.
Send your dates, group and diet. We'll set the menu with you.
- Tell us what drew you in. Your dates, who is travelling and what you want to see.
- A person reads it. We write a day-by-day plan for your group, private or small-group.
- You change anything. Then we confirm the guides, drivers and riads.