Roast chicken

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Place the chicken and the onion halves in a roasting tin. Drizzle with the olive oil and squeeze over the lemon halves.
2. Slice the top off the garlic bulb and push inside the chicken cavity, along with the squeezed lemon halves. Sprinkle the chicken with the oregano and some sea salt and ground black pepper. Cook for 60-70 minutes or until the juices run clear when you pierce the thigh with a skewer.
3. Transfer the chicken and onions to a chopping board with grooves that will allow the juices to be collected. Cover with foil and rest somewhere warm while you prepare the gravy.
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4. Put the tin over the hob, whack up the heat and add the white wine. Stir, scraping up any sticky caramelised bits off the bottom of the tin. Stir in the bouillon, then a little hot water (about another wineglassful) until it’s a consistency you’re happy with.
5. For a thicker gravy, whisk the flour into the cooking pan before adding the liquids, then gradually add the wine and stock. Simmer until it reaches the desired thickness.
6. Add any juices from the resting board, season to taste and pour into a warmed jug or gravy boat.
7. To carve the chicken, I find the easiest way is to start with the legs. Cut each one off by cutting through the skin between leg and body, pulling the leg away from the body a little, then inserting a knife where the leg meets the breast and jiggling the blade around until you can work it through the joint. Using a similar technique, remove the wings. I like to slice the breasts off in one go, so starting at the top of the bird, in the middle, slice the breasts off on either side, then slice these into smaller pieces, so everyone gets some white meat. If you want to get every last bit of meat off the chicken at this point, get stuck in with your hands and pick the rest of the meat from the breast and the little bits of meat along the back too.