Market Visit & French Cooking Class In Sete, France

Silversea Cruises makes available a special series of excursions known as the Silver Shore Collection. I participated in one of those excursions in Sete, France: Market Visit & French Cooking Class. The six-hour excursion started with a visit to the local markets: There were three, all in close proximity to our ship, Silver Wind, and one another — a flower market; an outdoor market (operating only on Wednesdays and where youll find everything from fresh produce, cheese and ham to infused olive oils and just-out-of-the-oven bread); and the covered market, where we shopped for mussels and squid. In all three markets, we shopped with our guide (Danielle Dumontel) and chef (Carole Aragon) for ingredients to prepare lunch in Caroles shop/restaurant, called La Decoratrice. The market alone was quite an experience, particularly as we had a guide who could inform us about what we were seeing — and who knew where, and where not, to shop. The experience was not only informative but also intimate, with only seven guests participating, plus Caroles two lovely daughters and our guide. Donning aprons and knives, we chopped, grated, sliced and diced to prepare a meal better than we could have imagined possible.