I’m told to select only the small, wild cucumber (aguratia ipethria), only pale and spotted courgettes (kolokithia), and the smaller and stronger bunches of garlic that are particular to Crete. I can’t resist the urge to handle greying, waxen hives of mountain goat cheese (anthotyros). Katerina spends five minutes buying a chicken (kotopoulo) complete with head and feet, and 10 minutes in conversation with the vendor of artichokes (aginares). This last transaction is punctuated by bellows of mirth and draws a little circle of men and women from the other stalls.What’s going on, I inquire?”He says that the women are like aginares,” Katerina explains. Both the above are good as starters, especially with little shots of raki.IT’S THE third day of this great adventure into immortality – and all I’ve done so far is eat and drink. “Everywhere you touch you get hurt.”And what are the men like? I ask. Katerina relays the question.”As soft and as sweet as vasilicos (basil),” the artichoke farmer replies, his brown eyes twinkling.An ancient van is driving up and down the road, its driver bawling from a loudspeaker This is the standard way in which fish is sold in Crete Katerina purchases about half a kilo of soupies (squid).

Katerina decides that she and I should go to the market and buy the ingredients for a meal, then prepare and cook it.Neapoli is a town in the foothills of the Dikti mountains, 15 minutes west of the port of Agios Nikolaos. A week here in the twisting streets and hills of Katalagari, soft, breezes, delicious hours spent sampling the local concoctions … school was never like this.DOLMODAKIA24 washed vine leavesolive oil225g/8oz white ricehalf a cooked onion, choppedparsley, to taste, choppedpinch of cinnamonMarinate the vine leaves in olive oil.Take the vine leaves from the marinade, fold them out and drape them on the rim of a bowl Cook the rice, then add the onion, parsley and cinnamon Mix. Hold open the vine leaf, ribs up, add a good pinch of flavoured rice.Parcel by folding first right hand side of the leaf, then left hand side, then roll closed. Place stuffed vine leaf on a dish.LADOVRECHTO1 loaf of wholemeal breadvirgin olive oil225g/8oz tomatoes, sliced225g/8oz feta cheeseoreganoCut the loaf of bread into slices. Cook the slices in the oven, set at the lowest heat, for six hours.Take a shallow dish and cover the bottom with virgin olive oil. Dolmodakia, vine leaves stuffed with rice, ladovrechto, brown bread softened with olive oil, served with tomatoes and feta cheese with oregano, and anthotyros, dry goat’s cheese of the area.

Dimitris’ wine is a pale rose in colour, sharp on the palate at first.Katerina wants to start a cookery school here for people wishing to learn the secrets of Cretan cooking. Serve on a small plate with a teaspoon and a glass of iced water, in a shaded garden.KATERINA’S parents live higher in the mountains, in the village of Katalagari Her love of cooking comes from Joanna, her mother. Her father, Dimitris, is a farmer of olives and vines – more than four hectares in all, a big farm Dimitris also keeps pigs, rabbits and hens. It goes without saying that he makes his own olive oil, wine and raki, the clear, ubiquitous spirit made from whole grapes.Katerina’s mother has a snack laid on.