Master French patissier and TV star Eric Lanlard is in talks to open more cafés in London and abroad.

His Battersea café Cake Boy is “growing at speed” and new sites could soon be added to his portfolio, he told British Baker. There are “some options” to open another site in London, more centrally, and also interest from India and the Middle East.

He said: “They really like what we are doing there - they like the glamour and the unique concept. India is a rapidly growing market where there is currently nothing like this. People there are starting to eat out much more and a city like Mumbai could easily have 10 patisseries as it is such a big city, along with Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

“There is some discussion around it [more sites] but no timings as yet.”

Meanwhile, Lanlard will be opening a café on board cruise ship the Britannia run by P&O Cruises. The Market Café will feature a menu devised mainly by Lanlard full of patisserie items and manned by Lanlard on rotation with a handful of well-known chefs, such as James Martin and Marco Pierre White.

Lanlard will be on board initially to train the chefs and then ‘hop on and off’ at points during the cruise to take his turns. The vessel will also offer a cookery school, run by whichever chef is on board at that time.

“It is not just the UK that has gone baking mad,” said Lanlard. “It’s a global phenomenon. It is interesting to see how different countries are embracing it and I think the baking craze will last with the younger generations embracing the trend.”

Lanlard will be a star speaker at the Cake &Bake Show at Earls Court in London from 3 to 5 October.