Poached chicken with spring vegetables

Method

Wipe the bird inside and out. Place it (with the extra joints, if using) in a generous pot and pack the sides with the carrots, celery, onion, lemon, herbs, peppercorns and a
little salt. Add enough water to submerge everything completely. Bring all to the boil, cover and turn down to simmer. Leave to cook gently for 1-1½ hours, without allowing any large bubbles to break the surface, until the bird is perfectly tender.

Remove the chicken from the broth, carve off the breast fillets and a few slices of the dark meat (save the rest for tomorrow), and reserve.

Transfer a couple of ladlefuls of the broth to a smaller pan, reheat, add the potatoes (chunked if large), cover and cook till almost tender - 12-15 minutes. Place the remaining vegetables on top - you may need to add a little boiling water - and continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes until the potatoes are perfectly soft. Serve everything heaped on a large dish and hand round a jug of the cooking broth separately.

Accompany the poached chicken with a little sauce of capers, spring onion and parsley dressed with olive oil and lemon juice, with a handful of soft spring leaves to mop up the juices.