Although it’s definitely not the only place in the world you’ll find a roast chicken, roasts in general are a quintessentially British meal type. Typically enjoyed on a lazy Sunday afternoon, a roast is a hearty meal to be shared with friends and family; and perfect to try on any tour of Great Britain. You’ll find it in pubs and restaurants everywhere, and it’s sure to be a recipe you’ll want to replicate once you get back home! Everyone’s got their favourite way of cooking it – but here’s our recipe for the perfect roast chicken.

Ingredients:

1 large chicken – free range & organic.
2 onions
2 carrots
2 sticks of celery
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled & crushed
1 knob of butter at room temperature
1 lemon
A small mixed bunch of thyme, rosemary and sage.
Olive oil, sea salt, black pepper

Method:

Take the chicken out of the fridge around half an hour before you start cooking. Preheat the oven to 220 C / 425 F. Chop the vegetables into chunks and pop them in the middle of the roasting tray. Drizzle with olive oil.

Roughly chop the bunch of herbs and mix with the garlic and butter, and a teaspoon of sea salt and crushed black pepper. Mash it all together and using your hands, massage the chicken all over with the mixture. Make sure you get under the skin too! Prick the lemon all over and place it in the cavity. You can also add any left-over herbs in here if you like.

Put the chicken in the roasting tray on top of the vegetables and place it in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. Turn the heat down to 190 C / 375 F and roast for about an hour and 20 minutes or so, basting occasionally. If you’re doing potatoes and more vegetables, put them in for the last 45 minutes. If the vegetables start looking dry, add a splash of water to the tray to stop them burning.

Here’s a trick for the potatoes – par-boil them, drain them and then toss in a generous bit of goose fat, along with a pinch of sea salt. Then put them in the oven – the goose fat will make sure they get good and crispy.

Once cooked, remove the chicken from the oven and transfer it to a board, cover with foil and leave it to rest for 15 minutes. It’s gravy time!

Once that’s done, carve your chicken and serve with the vegetables and piping hot gravy. Done!

What’s your favourite British recipe? Got any secrets you’d like to share? Tell us about it in the comments below!