Chicken

One of my earliest memories is of a very large chicken being delivered by the butcher ready to cook for Christmas dinner. It came complete with giblets which sat in a bowl of water ready to be cooked and used for the gravy. I was fascinated by this bowl of weirdness and it took many years to find out what they actually were. In the intervening years the mass production of poultry has meant that this country now eats more chicken than any other meat and my family certainly adds to those statistics. It’s seldom out of the news, with criticism of farming methods and anxiety over hygiene – only yesterday an alert was issued for avian flu and salmonella in 3 ranges of eggs sold in two supermarket chains. Remember Mrs.Currie? A good friend will often ask the question – “what’s for dinner – chicken?” and at least once a week the answer will be yes. I have a great many recipes to call on since it’s one food all the family enjoy. So earlier this week I was talking to young friend about the economy of roasting a chicken to enjoy with lots of vegetables, then have some cold the next day and going on to make soup using the carcass for stock. “Oh! How do you do that?” There then ensued a long typed method which became far too complicated. So the solution was that we should make a video and show younger people how to do it. It’s not a pretty process but the result is always delicious. So you have the scoop, dear reader – look out for this one on Christmas eve as the perfect way to use the last of your turkey.