Wednesday May 14th 2025, RTÉ One, 8.30pm
In this new seven part series, Rory O’Connell visits Morocco, one of his favourite countries. This is the first cookery series for RTÉ that has been filmed in Africa.
“Since first visiting Marrakesh in 1988, I have visited Morocco many times and have been entranced by the place, the people, the food, the sights and sounds, the exotic atmosphere and the new discoveries,” he says.
“To be able to revisit favourite places and discover new ones, and to share those experiences has long been a dream of mine.”
Rory travels from Tangier on the north coast to Essaouira on the Atlantic coast, visiting Chefchaouen, Fez, Marrakesh and the Atlas Mountains along the way.
At the end of each programme, Rory cooks a dish that has been inspired by his travels, capturing a flavour of Morocco, back home in East Cork.
Programme five – Marrakesh part two
This is the second episode of this series set in Marrakesh and Rory starts his day at the Café de la Poste founded a century ago when Morocco was still a French protectorate. Sitting in a tree-lined avenue, enjoying croissant and coffee for breakfast and speaking French to the waiters, Rory notes that the influence of French culture is still strong.
For something more distinctly Moroccan, Rory heads to L’Hotel Marrakech, a former Riad (merchant’s house) turned into a boutique hotel by designer Jasper Conran, and he learns how a traditional pigeon pastry pie called a Pastilla is made.
Marrakesh is a very green city, filled with gardens and green spaces, and Rory visits Anima Gardens, an exotic garden filled with sculptures and ceramics.
Rory then visits Al Fassia restaurant, where all the chefs and front-of-house staff are women. This
unique concept started 30 years ago and it is now a practice all over Morocco. This is unusual because Morocco is still a patriarchal society where only a quarter of the workforce are women.
The food is delicious, and Rory is taken into the kitchen by Fatiha Baba, affectionately described by Rory as “a force of nature, and definitely my new best friend!”
At home in his East Cork kitchen Rory makes a Moroccan Orange and Almond Cake.
How to Cook Well in Morocco is produced and directed by David Hare for InProduction TV and sponsored by Kerrygold
Press enquiries:
TVPR
Pauline Cronin 087 2629967