4 chicken breasts skinless (or thighs, or combination of the two)
1 bottle of white wine – Tescos Macon at £4.50 is perfect, but don’t use a sweet wine
3 or 4 fresh bay leaves
4 or 5 springs of tarragon – this herb has quite a strong flavour, so if you prefer a more subtle taste use less, there again if you like the strong flavour add a couple more!
Salt and pepper

This meal is perfect for anyone who wants something good to eat, but doesn’t want to spend hours in the kitchen doing loads of preparation. Place the chicken, bay leaves, tarragon in an ovenware dish that preferably has a lid, if not use kitchen foil to cover, salt and pepper the chicken and add about half the bottle of wine, enough to just come a little way up the chicken, but don’t cover it, the dish works like steaming but instead of water your using alcohol!

Cook in the middle of the oven for about 45 – 60 minutes on gas mark 6/200C. Sit back and enjoy the rest of the wine and decide what to have with the chicken, a bit of rice or vegetables and potatoes. Don’t forget to keep the dish covered, otherwise the liquid will evaporate!

Just a point – nothing is written in stone about recipes, if you don’t like a particular herb, use another, you can try the above recipe with sage or thyme instead of tarragon.

If your having a few guests round over the weekend and want to do roast with something a bit extra, try this:

1 leg of lamb – around 4lb (2kg) in weight will be enough for 4-6 people
75g butter – let it go soft at room temperature
5g fresh finely chopped rosemary
5g fresh finely chopped thyme
8g fresh chopped mint
8g chopped parsley
1 clove of garlic, crushed
salt and pepper
Pre-heat the oven gas 5/190C

Mix the butter, herbs and garlic together adding approx a teaspoon of salt and pepper. With a skewer stab the joint in several places, rub the herb butter all over the upper side of the joint. Wrap the joint loosely in foil and place in a roasting tin and leave to cook for 2 hours. After 2 hours open the foil and cook for a further 30 minutes, this will allow the meat to brown very nicely. Serve with seasonal vegetables and new potatoes.

Don’t forget – there will be juices from the joint, perfect for making the gravy, all you need is:

1 dessertspoon of plain flour
75ml dry red or white wine – whatever you’ve given your guests will be fine
275ml vegetable stock – the water from the vegetables you’ve cooked will do

Remove the meat to a serving dish, and keep in a warm place while your making the gravy. Empty the juices from the foil into the roasting tin, tilt the tin so you are able to spoon off the fat into a separate bowl, leave the juices in the tin. Place the tin over a medium heat, and when they start to bubble, sprinkle in the flour and work to a smooth paste, cook for a minute or two to brown. Pour in the wine bit by bit until you have a thin gravy. Pour into a jug and serve with the lamb.