A delicious way of cooking chicken. It is moist and succulent with a scrumptious flavour.

• 1 free range chicken
• 2 kg gros sel Noirmoutier or Isle de Ré
• 1 sliced carrot
• 1 sliced onion
• 1 bayleaf
• 1 piece fresh thyme

Put the sliced carrot and onion in the cavity of the chicken with the herbs. Truss up the opening.

Line a casserole dish or a pot that can go in the oven with tin foil (this makes it easy to lift out the chicken). Put a layer of salt in the bottom. Put the chicken on it and completely cover with salt until no flesh is showing.

Put the lid on and cook in an oven preheated to 210oc for 1 ½ hours. Take off the pot lid for the last 20-30 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Take out the chicken by lifting the edges of the tin foil. Very carefully remove the salt which will have formed a hard crust around the chicken. Do this carefully otherwise you’ll be left with too much salt on the chicken. The aroma as you crack open the crust is absolutely delicious. The chicken skin will be quite salty in parts, so take it off if you don’t like the saltiness. You don’t feel thirsty after eating this.

Serve with sauteed potatoes and a green salad or steamed vegetables.

SALMON on a bed of LEEKS, POTATOES & BACON

• 1 medium/large salmon fillet cut into 4 pieces or 4 salmon steaks
• 250g diced bacon
• 2 leeks sliced into rounds
• ½kg waxy potatoes peeled and sliced into rounds
• 2 cups fish stock
• 1tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• ¼ cup good quality white wine or champagne vinegar (like our Charbonneaux)
• 1 tsp salt
• Freshly ground black peppers
• reheat your oven to 180oc
  

1. Use a cast iron frying pan or similar that can go in the oven. Combine the leeks and bacon and cook in the pan over a medium heat for about 5 minutes; stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes, thyme, salt & pepper, bay leaves and pour in the stock and vinegar. Bring to the boil. Cover with tin foil and place in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are nearly done.
   
2. Remove from the oven, lay the Salmon on top and return to the oven for 8-10mins or until the salmon is done.
   
3. Transfer the salmon to a plate – I take off the skin at this stage if you're using a fillet.
   
4. Remove the bay leaves. Serve the potato and leek mixture on individual plates and place the salmon on top. Pour on any remaining juice. Serve immediately.