Simon Hopkinson and Lindsey Bareham’s roast chicken

Serves 4

• 110g good butter
• 18g free-range chicken
• 0 pepper
• 1 lemon
• 0 sprigs thyme
• 1 clove garlic

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 230C/gas mark 8.

Step 2
Smear the butter with your hands all over the bird.

Step 3
Put the chicken in a roasting tin that will accommodate it with room to spare.

Step 4
Season liberally with salt and pepper and squeeze over the juice of the lemon.

Step 5
Put the herbs and garlic inside the cavity, together with the squeezed out lemon halves – this will add a fragrant lemony flavour to the finished dish.

Step 6
Roast the chicken in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Step 7
Baste, then turn the oven temperature down to 190C/gas mark 5 and roast for a further 30–45 minutes with further occasional basting.

Step 8
The bird should be golden brown all over with a crisp skin and have buttery, lemony juices of a nut-brown colour in the bottom of the tin.

Step 9
Turn off the oven, leaving the door ajar, and leave the chicken to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.

Step 10
This enables the flesh to relax gently, retaining the juices in the meat and ensuring easy, trouble-free carving and a moist bird.

Step 11
If you wish to add extra flavour, you can scoop the garlic and herbs out of the chicken cavity, stir them into the gravy and heat through; strain before serving.

Step 12
Pour some white wine or a little chicken stock, or both, or even just water around the bottom of the tin at the beginning of cooking.