P&O Cruises brings celebrity chefs to the fore

P&O Cruises is creating a set of “Food Heroes” chef ambassadors to help focus attention on the Britannia, the largest ship planned for the British cruise market so far.

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P&O Cruises has recruited a line up of celebrity chefs to be

TV chef, James Martin, who has appeared on many shows including Kids Eat the Funniest Things and Saturday Kitchen, is being recruited to develop The Cookery Club, the first cookery school on board a British cruise ship.

He joins patissiere “Cake Boy” Eric Lanlard, who is launching in his first venture at sea, a patisserie range in the Britannia’s Market Café.

Chefs that already have links with P&O Cruises include Marco Pierre White, Atul Kochhar and Olly Smith. They are all contributing to developing the culinary experiences for the new ship and passengers on the Britannia will be able to participate in hands-on cookery tuition under their guidance.

The Britannia sets sail on its maiden voyage from Southampton to the Mediterranean on March 14 2015.

P&O Cruises, owned by Carnival UK, will also offer a  supervised children’s club for ages 2 – 17 with dedicated teens area, an Oasis Spa, a sports arena, four swimming pools and 13 bars on the Britannia.

P&O Cruises marketing director Christopher Edgington says: “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.”

The brand launched a post-Christmas television campaign that focused on creating an emotional engagement with viewers rather than a price led message.

Last year, chief commercial officer Gerard Tempest overhauled the P&O Cruises and Cunard Line marketing teams, appointing Angus Struthers to lead Cunard. He also recruited Jeremy Tait as insight director across the brands.

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