“Papas arrugas”: salted wrinkled potatoes with “mojo” pepper sauce served within the Canary Islands.
“It’s that simple.” Chef Marco Pierre White’s words echoed through the assembled audience, collectively wondering why that they had never considered grating an onion as an alternative of chopping it.
White demonstrated his signature saffron risotto recipe within the Cookery Club, a purpose-built kitchen studio at sea on board the P&O Cruises ship. Britannia.
The cruise ship, with a capability of three,647 passengers, was at the beginning of a 14-day Canary Islands route and stopped at 4 of the sun-drenched islands along with Madeira, Cadiz and Lisbon.
Such popular summer cruises are sometimes seen as offers for budget-conscious family vacationers for whom food plays a minor role on the priority list.
While Britannia’s extensive buffet restaurant and poolside grill are well suited to families, the six days at sea allowed ample time to explore the ship’s world-class dining and cooking entertainment options, while seven port calls offered the chance to find authentic local cuisine ashore.
Improvements in dining on cruise ships
Dining on traditional cruise ships often suffers from a repute for mediocrity, however the tide is popping, with many cruise lines now using food and beverage as a technique to differentiate themselves on this extremely competitive market.
The Epicurean restaurant serves paprika parfait as a starter.
The Italian shipping company MSC Cruises is strongly committed to its Mediterranean roots and offers fresh mozzarella and pizza slices almost across the clock, while Cunard’s recent Queen Anne offers more specialty restaurants than ever before on the historic route.
Guest lecturers
Other cruise lines at the moment are also working with world-famous chefs to further develop their offerings. For the past 18 years, renowned British chef and restaurant owner Marco Pierre White has worked with P&O Cruises.
He is one in all several ‘Food Heroes‘ are hired by the shipping company to assist develop food and beverage concepts on board, special menus and to entertain guests with cooking classes and cooking demonstrations.
Because of the unique challenges of cooking at sea, simplicity is essential in today’s cruise world, he said: “The more you add to the food, the more you risk deviating from it.”
That’s why White decided to exhibit a risotto. It’s a powerful dish, but relatively easy to make. Plus, White can teach some essential cooking techniques in the method: “Whether they recreate the dish later or just take away some skills that they can use for other dishes, I want guests to be able to use their vacation memories when they leave the ship.”
Eating in several restaurants
While simplicity is essential on the plate, White also stressed the importance of location: “If you don’t feel comfortable in the environment, you won’t enjoy the food, no matter how good it is.”
Epicurean offers high-quality dining in elegant surroundings.
He believes that the trend toward larger ships has helped to make the onboard dining experience more diverse: “On larger ships, there are more dining options to suit different tastes.”
The Britannia The cruise ship offered fundamental dining rooms, a big buffet restaurant, and an easy grill and pizzeria by the pool, all included within the cruise fare. Although many individuals ate on the included establishments daily, the ship’s specialty restaurants proved crucial to keeping things interesting throughout a whole two-week vacation.
The presentation was the main target of Epicureana chic gourmet restaurant with a surprise avocado chilli gazpacho, giant tiger prawns, delicious crêpes Suzette and a well-thought-out wine list.
Starter platter at Sindhu, British Indian restaurant on the cruise ship P&O Britannia.
Meanwhile, the perfect of British-Indian cuisine was served within the elegant ambience of the Sindhua favourite spot of White’s. The dark color scheme and diffused lighting create an environment paying homage to candlelight, which he described as “the most romantic setting for a meal.”
Great Britain meets Portugal on Madeira
When the conversation turned to traditional British food, White suggested a surprising “must” in the primary port of call, Madeira: afternoon tea in Reid’s Palacean iconic clifftop hotel with breathtaking sea views of the Atlantic Ocean.
Reid’s delicious afternoon tea was introduced over 100 years ago to suit the tastes of its predominantly British clientele and continues to be some of the popular afternoon teas on the planet outside the British Isles.
Afternoon tea is served on an outside terrace at Reid’s Hotel in Funchal, Madeira.
Unfortunately, this popularity meant that the “Sold Out” sign had been there for a while, which was a shame given the arrival of hundreds of British guests on BritanniaHowever, Madeira offers quite a few beautiful alternatives.
The vigorous cafes and restaurants within the streets of Funchal served impaled-Beef skewers marinated with garlic, salt and bay leaves, then cooked over an open fire – and it was okay– a conventional Madeira sweet potato bread served with garlic butter, followed by a glass of sweet, wealthy Madeira wine.
Unique volcanic wines
Wine was also the deal with the Canary Islands, especially the unique vineyards in the course of Lanzarote’s volcanic landscape.
Stone partitions protect the vines on Lanzarote.
The island’s vineyards are planted in black, porous volcanic soil that retains moisture and provides natural insulation. Each vine grows in a small, round pit protected against strong, hot winds by stone partitions.
These wines are celebrated for his or her vibrant acidity, complex flavours and distinct minerality, but low yields mean exports are minimal, so tasting the wines in Lanzarote is a must. Tastings and wine tours at Bodega La Geria are popular due to their location near the National Park Visitor Center.
The wine adventure continued in Tenerife, where volcanic soils, varied topographies, different microclimates and favorable trade winds allow for extensive wine production and diverse styles.
On the temperate north side of Tenerife lies the atmospheric tasting room of Alvero Wineries can accommodate several hundred people at the identical time.
Bodegas Alvero within the north of Tenerife offers wine tastings and buying opportunities.
The guests enjoyed typical Canarian tapas, similar to matured Manchego and wrinkled potatoes (wrinkled potatoes) with Mojo Pepper sauces paired with a dry white wine, a deep red wine, fresh Cava and a wealthy, fortified dessert wine.
Continuation of the tapas tasting on board
The tapas concept was also continued on board for the return trip to the UK. Another of P&O Cruises’ “Food Heroes”, Spanish chef José Pizarro, has prepared a menu of delicious dishes for the Glasshouse Atrium venue that mixes a wine bar with a trendy restaurant.
Again, simplicity was the important thing, and the celebrities were seared Atlantic scallops, mild orange-stuffed Gordal olives and Andalusian potato omelette. The all the time available offer of any three tapas for £10.50 ($13.50) was a good-value technique to enjoy a tasty lunch or alternative starter.
Cruises to the Canary Islands are a family-friendly and inexpensive technique to enjoy summer vacations, but you will need to spend greater than the bottom price to get the total, top-class dining experience.
The same 14-night voyage including a guest appearance by Marco Pierre White is accessible on Britannia in October 2024Fares start from £1,229 ($1,570) per person based on double occupancy or £1,599 ($2,050) for a balcony cabin.
Prices include food within the fundamental dining rooms and buffet restaurant. To enjoy among the high-quality dining experiences, expect to pay $15-$60 per restaurant and as much as $150 for a Cookery Club experience. Shore excursions with food and wine cost $60-$120.
