When the doors of the country’s newest cookery school, The Cookery Club, open next March on Britannia, Britain’s largest cruise ship, it will offer the most comprehensive schedule of classes for all ages and abilities as it travels the world.

Run in consultation with James Martin and featuring the other P&O Cruises Food Heroes Marco Pierre White; Atul Kochhar; master patissier Eric Lanlard and cheese expert Charlie Turnbull, The Cookery Club will have 24 state of the art stations for participants.  When the celebrity chefs and experts are on board they will be taking masterclasses and hosting interactive classes over lunch and dinner at the chef’s table. Many other celebrity chefs will be joining the ship for special demonstrations and classes.  Details to be announced shortly.

Resident chef and manager of The Cookery Club Rob Cottam, who joins P&O Cruises from Leiths School of Food & Wine and Ashburton Cookery School, will be ensuring the classes are reflective of current trends and tastes.  Rob has lived and worked abroad/internationally including Malaysia and Australia and is an expert in Far Eastern cuisine and will be running a series of dim sum and Thai street food classes as well as a variety of other themed and seasonal classes.

Rob Cottam said: “Many of the classes will reflect the ports of call so passengers can go to local markets, vineyards and see speciality producers in the morning before an afternoon learning how to use wonderful Mediterranean, European and Caribbean ingredients, herbs and spices to create exciting dishes they can recreate at home.

“For example during our call to Lisbon the classes may include traditional pastel de nata, custard tarts; or our day in Olden may have a fish masterclass to include filleting and many different cooking techniques. There will also be chocolate, Moroccan and bread speciality classes as well as more general Sunday brunch and French and Italian bistro favourites.

P&O Cruises offers a seven-night cruise with master pâtissier Eric Lanlard. Departing May 23, 2015, the cruise sails to Guernsey, Spain, & France from Southampton. Also on offer, an 11-night cruise with James Martin. Departing Sept 14, 2015, the cruise sails to Spain, Portugal & Gibraltar from Southampton.

Info courtesy of P&O Cruises