Happy Sunday ... enjoy a plateful of classic roast chicken and gravy !

If I was to ask the grandchildren what their favourite dinner was the answer would be chicken! They love a classic (Sunday) roast chicken with carrots and their favourite green vegetable, which is broccoli...

I can remember my Dear Mum cooking what was for us a traditional Sunday family roast - often chicken, but also beef, pork or lamb. If she wanted to be slightly more adventurous then her favourite cookbook would be out on the kitchen table and she would check out recipes etc. This book was 'Mrs. Beeton's' cookbook, does anyone else remember that one?

But back to a Classic Chicken Roast and recipe suggestion -

Ingredients:
Serves Four
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
1 free range chicken, about 1½ kg/3lb 5oz
1 lemon, halved
small bunch thyme (optional)
For the gravy
1 tbsp. plain flour
250ml chicken stock (a cube is fine)

Method:
1. Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Have a shelf ready in the middle of the oven without any shelves above it. Scatter the vegetables over the base of a roasting tin that fits the chicken, but doesn’t swamp it.
2. Season the cavity of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, then stuff with the lemon halves and thyme, if using. Sit the chicken on the vegetables, smother the breast and legs all over with the butter, then season the outside with salt and pepper.
3. Place in the oven and leave, undisturbed, for 1 hr 20 minutes – this will give you a perfectly roasted chicken. To check, pierce the thigh with a skewer and the juices should run clear. Remove the tin from the oven and, using a pair of tongs, lift the chicken to a dish or board to rest for 15-20 minutes. As you lift the dish, let any juices from the chicken pour out of the cavity into the roasting tin.
4. While the chicken is resting, make the gravy. Place the roasting tin over a low flame, then stir in the flour and sizzle until you have a light brown, sandy paste. Gradually pour in the stock, stirring all the time, until you have a thickened sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes, using a wooden spoon to stir, scraping any sticky bits from the tin. Strain the gravy into a small saucepan, then simmer and season to taste. When you carve the bird, add any extra juices to the gravy.

Nutrition per serving:
4g Carbs 40g Fat 49g Protein

From an original idea here

Of course in the present Covid 19 emergency we cannot visit and all sit down for a family meal together … but we can perhaps do the next best thing! All agree to have the same lunch and at an allotted time use the internet Skype, Facetime etc to enjoy a virtual meal together.

A variety of recipe ideas, food suggestions and articles are within this blog, but not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

Stay well and stay safe,
Do your best to keep smiling
and try to take something from each day.

All the best Jan