Cooking up a Storm on P&O Britannia – My Mom did just that with James Martin!

Before I even start let me just say that if there is one person who really doesn’t need to do a cookery class it’s my Mother, having cooked excellent meals and baked wonderful cakes for her family for over 60 years I think it’s fair to say she is an extremely competent cook and could teach any of the professionals a thing or two. Anyway, having seen James Martin in action at the BBC Good Food Show in Birmingham a couple of times, when she found out he was taking classes in The Cookery Club on their recent cruise Mom just couldn’t resist signing up to get up close and personal with her own personal ‘Food Hero’.

We booked the session online well in advance – these classes are for limited numbers and when there is a celebrity chef on board the sessions sell out almost as soon as they go on sale. Worth bearing in mind if you are keen to sign up.

The day before the session a letter was delivered to Mom’s cabin welcoming her to the Cookery Club and giving directions how to get there. All equipment is supplied of course and the letter recommended that participants wear trousers, a long sleeved top and flat shoes with covered toes – Health and Safety of course. An apron and the all important chef’s hat (best quality paper) are also provided. The letter also asks that if you have been unwell in the previous 48 hours, especially with any gastrointestinal illness that you call to cancel your class.

So at 2.30 sharp mother arrived for her Masterclass with James Martin, 3 hours, and what a wonderful time she had. The dishes they prepared we Smoked Haddock with Welsh Rarebit and Confit Tomatoes followed by Classic Chocolate Eclairs. Yes, they did Choux pastry! And from Mom’s description these bore no relation to the kind of eclairs you get from the local supermarket – enormous they were by all accounts! Sadly no photo’s of these giant cakes as they were swiftly consumed although I believe Mom took a couple to dinner in the evening to share with their table companions. They had a lovely afternoon of cooking, great cookery tips and banter with James Martin and Mom was full of the experience on her return. If you are a fan of cooking then it is an experience that she would very much recommend and and especially good way to occupy a sea day afternoon particularly if the weather isn’t great.

Obviously celebrity chefs aren’t able to be on board all the time, they usually each do a couple of cruises each year, but in their absence the Cookery Club is manned by guest chef’s. Classes with guest chefs are much cheaper but if you want to spend the afternoon with a celebrity chef it will set you back £100, and if you want to then dine at the Cookery Clubs chef’s table with said chef this will set you back a further £50. I would happily pay that to spend an afternoon with Mary Berry honing my questionable baking skills. Tip – if you can’t get a place keep an eye on availability on your Cruise Personaliser, sometimes they will pop in an extra session a couple of weeks prior to sailing at half price!

All in all Mom had a wonderful time though I have to say I have yet to see an enormous eclair come out of her kitchen. I am waiting with baited breath!

For more information about P&O Britannia’s Cookery Club please feel free to contact me on 0800 408 6084 from a landline or 030 303 8184 from a mobile, or email me at [email protected] and I will be delighted to chat to you about it, or cruises in general.

Happy Cruising Folks!