ROAST CHICKEN COOKING TIME CALCULATOR RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
• Slice the lemon halfway through lengthways. Insert a sprig of thyme into the slit and place the lemon inside the cavity of the chicken.
• Strip the leaves from the remaining thyme stalks and place them in a bowl. Press the garlic cloves with the heel of your hand to lightly crush them. Remove the skins and add the garlic to the bowl.
• Pour the olive oil into the bowl. Using a pestle and mortar, a mini food processor or a hand blender, blend together the thyme leaves, garlic and olive oil. It should be quite liquid.
• Spoon the thyme, garlic and oil mixture all over the chicken, working it into all the nooks and crannies.
• Place the chicken in a roasting tray and pour over the remaining flavoured oil. Season the chicken generously with sea salt and black pepper.
• Cover the chicken loosely with foil and roast for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and roast for another 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4 and roast for a further 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. It's fully cooked if the juices run clear when the bird is pierced in the thigh with a skewer.
• Turn off the oven and let the bird rest in the residual heat for at least 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, then carve.
• Stir the pan juices over the hob to heat through.
• Serve the carved chicken on a large platter and pour the pan juices over the top.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to its highest setting.
• Rub the beef with the olive oil, salt and pepper all over.
• Put a heavy-based roasting tray on the hob and when hot, add the beef.
• Sear the beef quickly on all sides to colour and crisp the outside.
• Transfer the beef immediately to the oven and leave the oven on its highest setting (about 240C/460F/Gas 8) for 20 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to 190C/375F/Gas 5 and roast for half an hour per kilo for rare, adding another ten minutes per kilo for medium rare, 20 minutes per kilo for medium, and 30 minutes per kilo for well done.
• Remove the beef from the oven, transfer it to a carving board and cover with foil. Allow it to rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.
• For the Yorkshire pudding, mix together the eggs, flour and a pinch of salt.
• Add the milk, stirring constantly, until you have a runny batter.
• Leave this to rest, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours.
• Place 1cm/½in of beef dripping in the bottom of each pudding mould, or if you are using a rectangular roasting tray, place 1cm/½in of beef dripping across the bottom.
• Heat the dripping in the oven (at 240C/460F/Gas 8) for about ten minutes, until it is piping hot.
• Remove the roasting tray from the oven, pour in the batter, and immediately return to the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown and crispy, making sure not to open the oven door for the first 20 minutes.
• Serve immediately with the carved roast beef.