There is something very comforting about a whole roast chicken brought to the table – it reminds me of family Sunday lunches from childhood. The flavours here are fantastic and really penetrate the flesh of the chicken. Try to buy a free-range or organic chicken, as the flavour is always so much better.

Serves 4–6

  • 1.5kg (3lb) whole chicken
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 fresh thyme sprig
  • 75g (3oz) butter, softened
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 4 small carrots, peeled
  • 2 red onions, peeled and halved
  • 2 celery sticks, chopped in half
  • 1 leek, chopped in half
  • 1 garlic bulb, broken into cloves (but not peeled)
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 120ml (4fl oz) white wine
  • 300ml (½ pint) chicken stock
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • crispy roast potatoes, to serve
  • buttered peas, to serve
  • Sausage stuffing roll:
  • 25g (1oz) butter, extra for greasing
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 100g (4oz) sausage meat
  • 100g (4oz) fresh white breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before it goes into the oven.
Preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F/gas mark 8). Finely grate the rind from the lemon and place the rind in a bowl, reserving the lemon. Strip the thyme leaves from the stalks (reserve the stalks) and add to the lemon rind. Mix in the butter and the garlic and then season to taste.

Loosen the skin from the chicken breasts, starting at the cavity end and working your hand underneath to release it. Spread the butter evenly under the skin and lay the skin back down on top. Slash the chicken legs several times with a sharp knife (this is to help ensure crispy skin). Place the carrots in a roasting tin with the red onions, celery, leek and garlic, tossing to coat in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sit the chicken on top of the pile of vegetables and drizzle all over with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, then season well, rubbing it all over and right into the slashes.

Cut the reserved lemon in half and put it inside the chicken's cavity with the reserved thyme stalks. Place the chicken in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6). Roast the chicken for 1 hour 20 minutes, basting the chicken halfway through cooking. Meanwhile, to make the sausage stuffing roll, melt the butter in a frying pan and sauté the onion until softened. Leave to cool, then mix with the sausage meat, breadcrumbs and herbs and season with salt and pepper. Place on a heavily buttered double sheet of tin foil and roll up into a thick sausage shape about 2.5cm (1in) thick and 20cm (8in) long, twisting the ends to secure.

Place in a roasting tin and cook above the chicken for 25–30 minutes, until the sausage meat is cooked through, turning it a couple of times to ensure it cooks evenly. When the chicken is cooked, transfer the chicken to a board and put the carrots and red onions on a warmed plate. Cover each with tin foil and rest for 15 minutes while you make the gravy. Using a large spoon, carefully remove most of the fat from the tin and then place the tin directly on the heat. Stir in the flour and then holding the tin steady, mash up the remaining vegetables as much as possible with a potato masher. Pour in the wine and allow it to bubble down, stirring continuously to blend the flour in.

Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until slightly reduced and thickened, stirring occasionally. Take a large jug and set a sieve into it, then pour in the gravy mixture, using a ladle to push all of the liquid and some of the vegetables through with the back of the spoon. Stir in the juices from the resting chicken and season to taste.

Transfer to a warmed gravy boat. To serve, carve the chicken into slices and arrange on warmed serving plates with the reserved carrots and red onion halves. Unwrap the sausage stuffing roll and cut into slices, then add to the plates with the roast potatoes and buttered peas. Hand around the gravy boat separately.


Lemon Meringue Pie

As this pastry is so short, it’s in danger of breaking up when you are trying to roll it out. If this

happens, try coarsely grating it directly into the tin and then quickly pressing the pastry up the

sides and into the shape of the tin. No one will ever know the difference!

Serves 6–8

Pastry:

  • 175g (6oz) plain flour, extra for dusting
  • 100g (4oz) butter, chilled and diced, extra for greasing
  • 50g (2oz) caster sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 egg yolk
  • ½ tbsp cream
  • Filling:
  • finely grated rind and juice of 3 lemons
  • 4 tbsp cornflour
  • 175g (6oz) caster sugar
  • 50g (2oz) butter, softened
  • 4 egg yolks
  • Meringue:
  • 3 egg whites
  • 150g (5oz) caster sugar
  • whipped cream, to serve

To make the pastry, place the flour, butter, sugar and salt into a food processor and blend for 20

seconds. Add the egg yolk and cream and blend again until the dough just comes together.
Do not overwork or the pastry will be tough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 1 hour.

Thinly roll out the pastry into a buttered 20cm (8in) fluted loose-bottomed flan tin that’s about
3cm (1 ¼in) deep. Trim the edges and prick the base with a fork, then chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6).
Line the pastry case with tin foil or non-stick parchment paper and a thin layer of baking beans.
Bake for 15–20 minutes, until golden. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F/gas mark

4). Remove the pastry case from the oven and carefully remove the foil and beans, then return to
the oven for 3–5 minutes, until lightly golden.

Meanwhile, to make the filling, place the lemon rind and 400ml (14fl oz) of water in a pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 30 minutes. Strain out and discard the lemon rind and then stir in the lemon juice.

Blend the cornflour with a little of the lemon liquid to form a smooth paste, then add to the pan with the sugar and stir well. Bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Reduce the heat and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until combined. Leave to cool a little and then beat in the egg yolks. Return to a low heat and cook for another 6–8 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Pour into the pastry case and leave to cool completely.

Once cool, make the meringue. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and whisk into soft peaks, then gradually whisk in the sugar a spoonful at a time to make a stiff, glossy meringue. Spoon on top of the filling, spreading it out to make sure it makes a good seal with the pastry edge. Swirl
the top of the meringue with the tip of a knife and bake for 15 minutes, until lightly golden and crisp on top. Leave to cool slightly and then carefully remove the tart from the tin and leave to cool for up to 2 hours – any longer and the meringue will start to weep.

To serve, cut the lemon meringue pie into slices and arrange on serving plates with dollops of
whipped cream.