Amongst 3 photography weeks during January and early February, Leigh arrived from Wales armed with some really decent kit.  Both an experienced veteren of camera club and international competitions Leigh was extremely able with his a Canon 1DS and 17-40 and EF70-200 lenses, (the latter perhaps the sharpest lens Canon has produced to date).  With people photography high on his list, Leigh had a ball both engaging with locals and shooting more covertly.  His incisive crisp focusing and control of depth of field really marks his images out as the best people photography to date here in Essaouira.  Leigh’s galleries can be seen here.

Cooking became a big feature in January and it’s part of an ongoing plan to offer more activities for couples and singles. Gerry and Lesley came for a week’s cooking holiday with my wife Naima.  Each day there was a different combination of starter and main course and the results by lunch time were quite exceptional.  I can vouch for that!  Pastillas are in no way fast food but Lesley and Gerry really came to grips with the technique of this quintessential recipe. Courses in Moroccan cuisine start at £695 pp. for the week inclusive of evening meals, 4 lunches, accommodation and transfers.  Enquire for a week’s rate for couples.

Finally Yvette and Peter claimed their prize of a week’s photography holiday winning the Times competition, spending 8 days in sunny Essaouria with me and here’s what Peter had to say about his creative photography holiday:

“…We were both absolute beginners and at the start of the course we knew absolutely nothing about DSLR photography. At the end of the week we left not only with knowledge of camera techniques but also with an awareness of composition…”  Their galleries can be seen here.