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Roast chicken with lemon, herbs and pepper

Why not give turkey the year off and adapt the recipe for chicken? This bird won’t be hanging around by New Year’s Day!
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• One whole chicken, giblets removed
• 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns
• 1 lemon
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons of thyme
• Olive oil
• 6 lean rashers

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5
2. Season inside and outside the bird with pepper
3. Roughly crush the peppercorns and mix with some small pieces of lemon rind (skin)
4. Cut the lemon into 4 and put it inside the body cavity along with the bay leaves
5. Check the weight of the chicken and allow 20 minutes for every 450g of meat
6. Place the chicken in a large roasting tin and brush all over with some olive oil 7. Cover the bird loosely with a large piece of tin foil
7. Every hour or so, take the chicken out and pour the cooking juices over the top
8. Half an hour before the end of the cooking time, remove the tin foil
9. Arrange the rashers over the breast of the chicken
10. When the chicken is cooked, the juices will run clear if you spear it with a skewer

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