Classic Roast Chicken and Homemade Gravy

Classic Roast Chicken

1. Try to get the chicken out of the fridge about half an hour before you need it. This will allow it to come back up to room temperature and will mean the chicken will cook more evenly.
2. Preheat the oven to 220C / 200C / gas mark 7 / 425F While the oven is heating get your chicken out of its packaging and pop it on a board and snip off the little bit of string holding its legs together.
3. Wash your hands then sprinkle the chicken with a little salt and pepper, half the rosemary, the juice from the lemon and a good drizzle of olive oil. Rub the salt, pepper, rosemary, lemon juice and olive oil all over the chicken and then pop into a roasting tray.
4. Put the two lemon halves into the chicken's cavity, together with a couple of sprigs of rosemary.
5. Wash your hands (I told you I was obsessed!) and then put the chicken in the oven for 1h30.
6. When the time is up, check the chicken is cooked (see note) and put it on a board or a plate (I use a clean roasting tin to collect the juices) to rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Homemade Chicken Gravy

1. Try to scoop out as much fat as possible from the roasting try so you are just left with the lovely chicken juices. (You could drizzle a few spoonfuls of the chicken fat on the roast potatoes for extra chickeny flavour, or just save it for another day.)
2. Put the roasting pan on the hob and sprinkle over the flour. Stir constantly, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan. When the juices are bubbling and the flour is all incorporated, pour in ½ litre chicken stock and bring back to the boil. Add any juices from the resting chicken and then bubble for about 5 minutes and pour into a jug. (You can strain it through a sieve if you want a perfect liquid with no bits in it.) Easy!