Fans of Marco Pierre White can meet the great man himself as he takes to the road to visit a number of his UK-based restaurants.

Always keen to see how things are going and to meet customers and staff, he will be casting his keen eye at venues in North Somerset, Cardiff, Birmingham, Glasgow, Durham, Newcastle, and Brentwood.

He will also be finding out how the new menus, which he personally devised for the Steakhouse and New York Italian brands have gone down with guests.

Regarded by many as the greatest UK chef of all time, White will meet and greet diners and sign copies of his books during a special lunch and evening dinner services.

Jason Everett, executive head chef of MPW Restaurants said: "It's fantastic when Marco visits his restaurants. Our customers love meeting him and it's great for staff morale as well. Marco has a lot of charisma and is wonderful with the public so we're really looking forward to visiting the various venues.

"There's always a real buzz of excitement when he visits, and he's always interested to know how his menus have been received by diners. People don't realise how hands-on and involved he is and are often surprised to see how much he cares about making sure the menu and restaurant is spot on.

"Marco's menus reflect everything that's wonderful and exciting about his food philosophy, with special dishes to suit every palate and budget. Top quality steaks sit alongside a varied range of plates inspired by the best of British and French cooking.

"As with other Marco visits, we're expecting this to sell out, so anyone interested should get in touch soon."

Dates include:

• Dinner, Wednesday 24 April, Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill, Cadbury House, North Somerset
• Lunch, Thursday 25 April, Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill, Cardiff
• Dinner, Thursday 25 April, Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill, Level 25, The Cube, Birmingham
• Dinner, Friday 26 April, Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill, Glasgow
• Lunch, Monday 29 April, Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill, Durham
• Dinner, Monday 29 April, Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill, Newcastle
• Dinner, Tuesday 30 April, Marco's New York Italian, Brentwood

For more information or to book visit www.mpwrestaurants.co.uk