Marco Pierre White went shooting rabbits as part of the programme 'Great British Feast'

He is known for his fiery temper, genius in the kitchen and his refusal to compromise on quality.

Which was why it was strange to see the enfant terrible of British cooking, Marco Pierre White resort to using stock cubes to make his culinary creations on last night’s Great British Feast on ITV.

The idea behind the show was that Pierre White would travel the length of the country to track down the best of British produce to create the eponymous meal that would be served to 200 members of the public.

But while home chefs battle to recreate an authentic bubbling stock using carrots, celery and onions Michelin-starred chef had a far simpler method.

He just popped in a handful of what appeared to be Knorr’s finest to enhance the flavour of his ‘rabbit stockpot’ and fish pie.

However the first advert break went some way towards solving the mystery.

The programme was sponsored by Knorr, and the pre-ad break title sequence extolled the virtue of making a simple stockpot using the very same chicken stock cubes.

Viewers writing on internet forums picked up on the rather obvious use of Knorr products during the show.

'The programme was sponsored by Knorr stock cubes - and he used stock cubes in the rabbit dish and the fish pie and mentioned stock cubes quite a few times. Coincidence?' asked one.

Another viewer said that the show had been 'a bit product-placement-tastic'

'I really can't imagine MPW using Knorr stock cubes in any of his cooking, but perhaps I'm being cynical.'

White has been the ‘face’ of Knorr since last year and in an interview with Caterer and Hotelkeeper magazine last year, was unabashed about his love of the ingredient:

‘I buy into simplicity. Knorr is the best f***ing ingredient in the world, let's not kid ourselves.

"Knorr chicken stock cubes? Genius product. Every kitchen should have a packet. The problem is most people don't know how to use it."

However, despite the chef’s apparent genuine love for Knorr the show will raise questions about the use of product placement in television shows.

Last month the Culture secretary Andy Burnham said that Britain would not accept an EU directive allowing product placement on television.

‘As a viewer I don't want to feel the script has been written by the commercial marketing director,’ he said at the time.

‘British programming has an integrity that is revered around the world and I don't think we should put that hard-won reputation up for sale.’

In an interview with Jaci Stephens in the Mail last month, Marco Pierre White demonstrated how a simple Knorr stock cube could be used to season steak and chicken.

White, 45, made his name at Harveys in Wandsworth, south London, and was only was 33 when he got his three stars – the youngest British chef to receive the accolade.

In the past he has also praised ketchup and Coleman's Worcester Sauce and even admitted that he is partial to the occasional Big Mac.

An ITV spokesperson said: 'As is the case with all ITV programming, Marco's Great British Feast is subject to strict compliance procedures to ensure that all content complies with all regulatory guidelines. There is no reference to Knorr within the programme.
 
'It is common knowledge that Marco uses stock cubes in his recipes together with other items which can be found in anyone's kitchen cupboard, including tomato sauce and Worcester sauce.'