Roast chicken

1. Take your chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before it goes into the oven

2. Preheat your oven to 240°C

3. There’s no need to peel the vegetables – just give them a wash and roughly chop them

4. Break the garlic bulb into cloves, leaving them unpeeled

5. Pile all the veg and garlic into the middle of a large roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil

6. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper, rubbing it all over the bird

7. Carefully prick the lemon all over, using the tip of a sharp knife (if you have a microwave, you could pop the lemon in these for 40 seconds at this point as this will really bring out the flavour)

8. Put the lemon inside the chicken’s cavity, with the bunch of herbs

9. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the roasting tray and put it into the preheated oven

10. Turn the heat down immediately to 200°C/400°F/gas 6 and cook the chicken for 1 hour and 20 minutes

11. Baste the chicken halfway through cooking and if the veg look dry, add a splash of water to the tray to stop them burning.

12. When cooked, take the tray out of the oven and transfer the chicken to a board to rest for 15 minutes or so

13. Cover it with a layer of tinfoil and a tea towel and put aside.

14. Bon Appétit