Hidden Beach: A Taste of Morocco — A Shared Cooking & Culture Workshop

A Taste of Morocco is a participatory cooking and cultural learning workshop delivered as part of the kitchen.hiddenbea.ch residency at the Stade Kitchen, within the Hidden Beach Summer of Culture programme.

The session uses food as a medium for cultural exchange, learning and social connection. Participants explore Moroccan food traditions through collective preparation, sensory engagement and shared eating, creating a relaxed space for conversation, reflection and discovery.

The workshop is designed to be inclusive, accessible and non-hierarchical, with participants learning through doing, tasting, discussing and reflecting together rather than following a fixed instructional format.

Moroccan cuisine offers a rich and accessible entry point into understanding culture through food — particularly the ways in which flavour is built through layering, balance, time and shared practice.

The workshop focuses on:
• the sensory experience of spices
• the cultural meanings of hospitality and shared meals
• the relationship between flavour, process and tradition
• the role of food as a social and intergenerational connector

By centring the experience on flavour rather than technique alone, the session supports participants to understand cooking as a cultural language and a form of collective knowledge.

Participants work together as a group to:

• explore key Moroccan spices through smell and taste
• prepare vegetables and ingredients collectively
• contribute to the development of a shared vegetable tagine
• discuss how warmth, sweetness and savoury depth are built and balanced
• reflect on how food connects to culture, hospitality and community

Rather than following a recipe, the session is guided by facilitated discussion, sensory exploration and collaborative decision-making. Final cooking is managed centrally by the facilitator to ensure safety and comfort for all participants.

The session ends with a shared meal and informal reflection.

The workshop is designed to be welcoming, inclusive and accessible:

• No prior cooking experience is required
• Participation is flexible — people can join through observation, preparation, tasting or discussion
• The group format supports social connection and reduces isolation
• The environment is calm, non-pressured and supportive

The session supports wellbeing by creating a space for:
• slowing down
• shared focus and creativity
• informal social contact
• cultural curiosity without expectation or performance

The workshop contributes to Hidden Beach’s wider objectives by:

• increasing access to cultural learning through everyday practices
• supporting intergenerational and intercultural exchange
• creating low-barrier opportunities for participation
• strengthening local community connection through shared experience

Food is used as an entry point for culture that is familiar, non-intimidating and universally relevant, enabling engagement from people who might not normally access cultural programmes.

Format: Pre-booked participatory workshop
Duration: 90 minutes
Group size: 12–18 participants
Led by: Experienced food facilitator with assistant support
Includes: Shared meal and tasting
Location: Stade Kitchen, Hastings (kitchen.hiddenbea.ch residency)
Programme context: Hidden Beach Summer of Culture

Participants will:

• gain an understanding of how Moroccan flavours are constructed and balanced
• develop sensory awareness of spices and ingredients
• experience cooking as a cultural and social process
• build confidence through shared participation
• form new social connections
• leave with a sense of belonging, learning and nourishment

A Taste of Morocco supports Hidden Beach’s core aims around:

• Cultural access
• Community connection
• Informal learning
• Creative wellbeing
• Inclusion and participation
• Celebrating cultural diversity
• Strengthening local cultural ecosystems

The session contributes to Hidden Beach’s long-term vision of embedding culture into everyday life, using food, music, art and shared practices as pathways to connection and understanding.

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