P&O Cruises is assembling the cream of culinary talent as the new ship’s Food Heroes - an unprecedented line up of the country’s celebrity chefs.

Britain’s favourite TV chef, James Martin will develop The Cookery Club, the first cookery school on board a British cruise ship.

He joins award-winning master patissier ‘Cake Boy’ Eric Lanlard in his first venture at sea, a patisserie range in the Market Café at the heart of the ship’s spectacular atrium.

Established P&O Cruises favourites Marco Pierre White, Atul Kochhar and Olly Smith will lend their expertise to the varied culinary options on board ranging from speciality restaurants and wine bars through to gala dinners in the main dining rooms.

Passengers will be able to participate in hands on cookery tuition under the expert guidance of P&O Cruises famous five culinary giants. Guest chefs will also be on board in this state of the art cookery school which can hold classes of up to 24 people at a time. There will also be a chef’s table to allow passengers to experience world class cuisine in an intimate space.

When the biggest ship built for the British cruise market sets sail on its maiden voyage from Southampton to the Mediterranean on March 14, 2015 it will mark a step change in holidays at sea.

As well as the new Cookery Club passengers taking a cruise on board Britannia will experience:

Dining:
13 bars and 13 different places to eat Three tier feature atrium with Eric Lanlard patisserie, a charcuterie and gelateria as well as spectacular Star Burst sculpture Sindhu from Atul Kochhar and Olly Smith’s The Glass House Champagne afternoon tea by Eric Lanlard served in the fine dining restaurant Al fresco dining

Things to do:
Oasis Spa and open deck Retreat Sports arena Art collection worth in excess of £1million Four swimming pools including a Serenity “quiet zone” pool and bar Library

Entertainment:
The Limelight Club - a combined entertainment and dining venue in the great tradition of the supper club 936 seat state of the art theatre with LED screen The Studio - multi-purpose “TV studio” for guest speakers, talks, demonstrations, cinema screenings, radio plays or game shows The Crystal Room - dedicated to all types of dance Spectacular new on deck show Dedicated supervised children’s club for ages 2 - 17 with dedicated teens area

Following travelling trends and customer research, Britannia has a total of 27 single cabins, more than any other cruise ship, with 15 of those having balconies. Each outside cabin has a balcony and all cabins will feature exclusive artwork by British artists and wall mounted flat-screen TVs with video on demand.

Britannia’s maiden season will see the ship sail from Southampton to the Mediterranean, Norwegian Fjords, Canary Islands and the Baltic Sea, as well as offering a range of short breaks and a special round Britain cruise.

The ship will then transfer to the Caribbean for the winter season sailing a range of 15 night fly/cruise itineraries from Barbados.

P&O Cruises marketing director Christopher Edgington said: “Britannia will introduce cutting edge design combined with a range of innovations uniquely styled to appeal to those who may not have considered a cruise holiday before as well as our many loyal past passengers.

“Combining the excitement of cruising with the sophistication of a five star hotel, Britannia is not only the biggest ship built for the British market but the most glamorous too. We have set out to make Britannia the biggest and the best and we are confident passengers will be wowed by the experience.

“We are incredibly honoured to have secured the services of the best chefs at sea. The addition of James Martin and Eric Lanlard on Britannia further enhances the already incomparable level of culinary excellence we are proud to offer across our fleet.”

Edgington added: “Britannia will showcase an incredible array of facilities for children and teenagers including dedicated teens pool area and we have ensured that our prices remain constant throughout the year irrespective of the timing of the peak school holiday periods. We are conscious of the hardship families face when taking holidays at these time and are therefore committed to fair pricing throughout the year.”