Should anyone be in search of a formula for a new television foodie programme, could I suggest one in which Marco Pierre White sits at the head of a table of guests and holds forth on the subject of grub, wine, restaurants and related matters as a delicious meal is served? A flamboyant personality, as we all know, he could be guaranteed to supply entertaining conversation — gossipy, opinionated, indiscreet. Hugely qualified on the subject of cooking — the youngest chef in his day, at 33, to gain three Michelin stars — he would talk with unparalleled expertise and could illustrate his points where necessary with reference to the dishes under consumption.

That the formula will work was demonstrated to my satisfaction on Monday when Marco — as I felt able at once to call him — hosted just such a meal at the Black Boy, in Milton, near Banbury. He was relaxed, unfailingly charming (despite that fierce Hell’s Kitchen reputation) and remarkably free with his time — lunch 1pm till 4pm — for a man about to leave the next day for weeks of work as main presenter of Australia’s top-rating MasterChef: The Professionals.

The 16th-century Black Boy is the seventh recruit to the Wheeler’s of St James’s chain of pubs, on which Marco collaborates with another famous ‘name’ in the catering world, Sir Rocco Forte. That these are pubs, not gastropubs and certainly not restaurants, is a recurring theme in our host’s discourse.

“We always keep it simple,” he says, which applies as much to the decor as to the food. There are bare wooden tables on Singer sewing machine bases, bench seats, antique toys and animal sculptures, while the walls are covered with black-and-white photographs, including iconic images by David Bailey.

As for food, Marco says: “The executive chef [Chris Warwick] can take his pick from 30 or 40 starters, and 30 to 40 main courses for the menu, and lots of puddings, too. Some things like fish and chips and a pie of the day — steak and ale, say, or chicken and leek — will always be on.”

Another perennial favourite is a prawn cocktail, a huge example of which I am starting to eat as Marco expands on his theme. (Others are on rather fancier things like quail’s eggs, brandade of smoked mackerel and potted duck.) “What I think is important about a pub is to make it somewhere you can come with a mate and have something simple like shepherd’s pie, but also have it smart enough to take your girlfriend for a special night out.”

As with restaurant food, he is emphatic that what is done must be done well — “refinement, not invention,” he says, making it very clear who is in his sights. Take a bow Heston Blumenthal.

“When I go to a restaurant, I like stepping back in time to those old French temples, with a special look — and smell — of their own. Today we have knick-knack cuisine. It’s like going to a posh canapé party. Everything is tepid.”

There is nothing in the least bit knick-knacky, I conclude, about the Wheeler’s fish pie I am now tucking into. Smoked haddock, salmon, shrimps in a rich creamy sauce, plus the hard-boiled eggs and cheese topping to the mashed potatoes which are so often left out of this classic dish. The neighbour to my right offers a taste of her tender rump of lamb, another luncher a pink slice of her grilled calf’s liver. Superb!

Enough of food. I will deal with all that in a full review in a few weeks’ time — not forgetting the marvellous puddings, including a banana Eton mess featuring Carnation condensed milk and Ambrosia custard. As his Knorr TV advertisements prove, Marco is not ashamed of using branded ingredients.

I’ll end instead with wine. While I drink a delicious steely Chablis (Domaine Jean Defaix, 2011), Marco orders “something red — anything”. Not fussy then? I am thinking so, until he specifies his ideal final ‘meal’. No food, it turns out — “ a 1929 Lafite or Haut-Brion”.

Thus speaks a true man of style.