Lemon chicken baked with fennel

Serves 4-6

You will need: • 4 chicken drumsticks and 4 chicken thighs • 2 heads of fennel bulb • 75ml olive oil • Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon • 3 cloves of garlic, finely sliced • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • Buttery mash or boiled new potatoes, to serve

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C, 390°F, Gas 6. Use a sharp knife to cut a few slashes into each of the chicken thighs and drumsticks.

2 Trim the top of the fennel bulbs, and reserve any fronds for later. Trim and discard the base of the bulbs and cut the fennel into thin slices lengthways.

3 Drizzle a roasting tray with a little of the olive oil, then cover the base with the thin slices of fennel. Scatter the finely grated lemon zest over the top and drizzle with the lemon juice. Add a little more of the olive oil and some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then scatter the finely sliced garlic over the top.

4 Lay the pieces of chicken, skin-side up, on the prepared roasting tray, then drizzle with the last bit of olive oil and scatter with more sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

5 Put the tray in the preheated oven and cook the ckicken for about 25-35 minutes until it is cooked and golden on top, and the fennel is softened. Baste the chicken legs a few times while cooking (see my Top Tip, left). Serve the chicken and fennel on warm plates, along with any juices from the roasting tray. Garnish with the fennel fronds you reserved earlier.

6 This lemon chicken dish is delicious served with a buttery mash, or in the summer with boiled new potatoes.