Ingredients

• 1 x 1.5kg/3lb 5oz chicken (preferably organic)
• 1 unwaxed lemon
• cut in half
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 3 leeks
• washed and trimmed
• 2 red peppers
• 1 orange pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 100g/3½oz pitted dry-packed black olives
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
• to serve

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Untruss the chicken
• sit it in a roasting tin and put the lemon halves and two of the rosemary sprigs into the chicken’s cavity.
• Wash and trim the leeks
• cut each into three logs
• then slice lengthways and add to the tin. Now remove the core and seeds of the peppers and slice them into strips
• following their natural curves and ridges
• and add these to the tin.
• Tumble in the olives
• and now pour the olive oil
• mostly over the vegetables but a little over the chicken
• too. Add the remaining rosemary sprigs to the vegetables
• along with some sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
• to taste. Using a couple of spoons or spatulas
• gently toss the vegetables about to help coat them with the oil and make sure everything’s well mixed up.
• Sprinkle some sea salt flakes over the chicken and put it in the oven for about 1-1¼ hours
• by which time the chicken should be cooked through
• and its juices running clear when you cut into the flesh with a small sharp knife at the thickest part of the thigh joint. The vegetables should be tender by now
• too
• and some of the leeks will be a scorched light-brown in parts.
• Remove the chicken to a carving board and
• while it rests (for about 10 minutes) pop the pan of veg back in the oven
• switching the oven off as you do so.
• Cut the chicken up chunkily
• transferring the pieces to a large warmed platter. Now take the pan back out of the oven and
• with a slotted spoon or spatula
• remove the vegetables to the large platter and when all is arranged to your aesthetic delight
• pour over it all the bronze
• highly-flavoured juices that have collected in the pan.