Food Of The Week: Join Marco, Gary and James at the captain's table

Gourmet restaurants, guest chefs and epicurean themes are set to add more than just a pinch of gastronomic savour to cruises across the world this year.

Chef Andre Soltner, former owner of the famed New York restaurant Lutece, will hold cookery classes and prepare a multi-course dinner during a 12-night Epicurean Adventures cruise on ' Crystal Serenity' from Southampton to Rome, departing 7 May (020-7287 9040; crystal cruises.co.uk).

Chef Marco Pierre White has created a menu of Mediterranean-influenced dishes, including fillet of turbot with citrus fruits, olive oil, coriander and baby fennel, for The White Room restaurant on board P&O's new superliner ' Ventura' (0845 678 0014; virtualventura.co.uk).

Double Michelin-starred chef Eyvind Hellstrom of Bagatelle restaurant in Oslo will be cooking dishes such as carpaccio of salmon with oyster-yuzu sauce aboard the Silverseas Silver Wind during its 15-day voyage from Copenhagen from 21 July (0870 333 7030; silversea.com).

Discover the history and practice of making port in Pinhao, in the beautiful Douro Valley, during a cruise from Lisbon to Porto aboard the 'Douro Queen', with departures March to October (001 818 382 7820; uniworld.com).

Chef Joachim Splichal of renowned Los Angeles restaurant Patina has created menus for Windstar Cruises' three-strong fleet of motor sail yachts (001 206 292 9606; windstar cruises.com). Expect dishes such as Maine lobster tail with melting pigs' trotters, hon shimeji mushrooms à la grecque and salsa verde.

Stop off in the Corsican fishing port of Macinaggio to sample the rare muscat du Cap Corse sweet wine from the nearby vineyards as part of Arblaster and Clarke's 11-day Mediterranean Wine Cruise from Nice to Venice, departing 22 July aboard the super-yacht 'Ponant' (01730 263111; winetours.co.uk).

TV chef James Martin will be aboard 'Ocean Village' (0845 075 0032;

oceanvillageholidays.co.uk) cooking dishes such as confit of salmon terrine with leeks and a herb butter and balsamic reduction at his Bistro, and holding cookery demonstrations on selected dates during April, June and September.

Gary Rhodes brings his personal interpretation of British cooking to Oriana Rhodes at the Curzon Room aboard the refurbished 'Oriana' liner (0845 678 00 14; pocruises.com), where treacle duck breast with creamy date parsnips is on the menu.

The Mediterranean-inspired dishes of acclaimed American chef Todd English of Olives restaurant in Boston is available on board 'Queen Mary 2', such as roast rump of lamb with black olive jus, confit lamb shank, assorted salads of roasted red pepper, chickpea and cucumber with rouille dressing (0845 678 0013; cunard.co.uk).

French/Chinese fusion dishes, such as thinly sliced, broiled wagyu steak with shallot port wine sauce and wasabi-yuzu tossed mesclun lettuce, from legendary American chef Wolfgang Puck's Chinois restaurant in Santa Monica are available in Crystal Serenity's Jade Garden restaurant (020-7287 9040; crystalcruises.co.uk).

Chef Michel Richard of the highly lauded Citronelle restaurant in Washington will bring his culinary skills to bear on Alaskan seafood in the form of cookery demonstrations and a special tasting menu on the seven-night cruise from Alaska to Vancouver on the Seven Seas Mariner, departing 16 July (001 877 505 5370; rssc.com).