Argan oil is highly prized, used both in cooking and cosmetics. Some funny legends about goats - do ask. Shops in Morocco are full of it, but stories abound about fake or diluted products. You can go directly to places where argan nuts are shelled and milled. The cooperatives - usually run by women - are everywhere on the road from Essaouira to Marrakech. On recommendation from my hotel I went quite far - to Cooperative Feminine Argan El Farah in Hanchan, a 25-minute drive from E'ra. Don't know if I needed to go that far, but they had a girl with passable English, which doesn't happen everywhere, so I could ask questions. This was the only place where I could take photos of people at work, more importantly, women at work (they're kind of invisible otherwise). Drivers at the grand-taxi station in E'ra were proposing to take me there for 450 dhrs (30 quid!), but I haggled it down to 150 round-trip and 30 mins waiting (walk away until you really get it your way is one technique). So I talked to the coop lady, took my photos and they gave me a taste of the oil for cooking and some wonderful paste made with argan oil, almonds and honey. Be prepared for a bit of shock when shopping begins. Even at producers level it ain't cheap at all - 250 ml bottle of oil - cooking or massage - is about 10 quid, the paste costs the same. I've reasoned myself with thoughts of the money going directly to the people who work and not to 100 re-sellers in the chain.

El Hanchan, on the main road from Essaouira to Marrakech or any coop closer to E'ra

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