Take your Chicken out of the fridge an hour or so before roasting

Pre-heat oven to 240˚c & rub a very small teaspoon of olive oil all over the chicken

Put a couple of whole garlic cloves, a bay leaf and a bit of thyme inside the bird.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 20 minutes.

After 20 mins, turn it round in the oven and turn the temperature down to 180˚c.

I think Delia says something like 20 minutes more cooking for each 450g – but I just guess the cooking time now (I always forget to weigh things before embarking on cooking them anyway).  Sprinkle some thyme over it two around two thirds of the way through roasting

The chicken is cooked if the juices run clear when you slide a skewer or knife into it – or alternatively when you could nearly pull a leg off without using a knife.  It is definitely not cooked if there are still pink bits, or pink juices.

Once done – always rest your chicken.  If it has cooked for an hour or so (the one in the picture had 1 hour 10 mins), I rest it for about half an hour gently covered with foil on a plate to catch and soak up the juice.

While chicken was putting its feet up (sorry), I cooked Potatoes with Oregano and served it with a big green salad.  Don’t forget to take the crispy skin off before serving.