This is my favourite type of meal, because it completely looks after itself and is a great time-saver. It’s a good one to shove in a pot on a Sunday before disappearing for a long walk – or if you have one of those fancy ovens which will switch on automatically, you can put it all in and set it to roast before leaving for work and then come back to a delicious home-cooked meal for the whole family

Serves 4 with leftovers

Ingredients

1.5kg whole chicken

1 lemon

4 cloves garlic

2 springs rosemary

Couple of handfuls of new potatoes

4 large carrots

8 echalion shallots – peeled

2 handfuls mushrooms

300ml white wine

1 chicken stock cube

Olive oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 180.

Chop the lemon in half and peel the garlic cloves, then stuff  them into the cavity of the chicken, along with the sprigs of rosemary.

Roughly chop the carrots, shallots, potatoes and mushrooms and put them into a large ovenproof casserole dish.

Sit the chicken on top of the vegetables, pour in the wine, and crumble in the stock cube.

Drizzle a little olive oil over the chicken and season well with salt and pepper.

Put the lid on the dish (or cover tightly with foil if the chicken is too big) and roast in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes, taking the lid off for the last fifteen minutes for a nicely browned bird.

Carve up the chicken and serve with the veg and lovely juices for gravy.