Serves 4:

• 2 onions, cut in half to create rings
• 1 celery stick chopped
• carrots 
• parsnips
• garlic
• 1 lemon zest
• Maris Piper Potato
• 1 Glass of white wine
• plain flour
• A bunch of Thyme leaves
• 1 sprig of Rosemary
• Salt & Pepper

Instructions for Roast Chicken & Gravy

Heat the oven to 190°C (fan) and start peeling your vegetables. Reserve some of the peelings from parsnips, carrots, potatoes, and place in the roasting tin along with the onions, celery, some of the thyme and rosemary leaves. Zest the lemon and pick the remaining thyme leaves - place aside. Get you Chicken to room temperature, open up the cavity and place lemon wedges and garlic inside. With your fingers separate the chicken skin from the breast and spread the lemon zest and thyme leaves underneath, reaching the mixture as far as you can. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables and peelings in the roasting tray and put into the pre-heated oven. Look on the packaging for exact cooking times (e.g. 1.5kg = 1hr20 at 190°C).

Once the chicken has had its allocated cooking, its now time to rest the bird for 15-20mins and start on the gravy. Lift the bird out of the roasting tray and set aside under some foil. With the roasting tray, place it onto the hob over a low heat (don't forget to add any remaining juices from the chicken). Once the liquid starts to boil add the white wine and simmer to burn off the alcohol. You can now add flour to thicken the sauce (bit by bit to avoid clumps of flour) and stir. Its now to to strain the liquid from the veg and peelings by using a sieve and some chicken stock to rinse all the flavour into a separate pan. Add salt and pepper to taste

Serve with roast potatoes, veg, stuffing and sausages etc

Bon appetite