Easy eats…

Cooking a whole chicken is an easy way to feed the family and is so much cheaper than buying individual prepared breasts. You can use the carcass to make stock for soup afterwards.

Roast chicken with squash and thyme

Serves 6 prep: 30 min Cook: 1hr 30 min 1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks

2 red onions, cut into wedges 6 cloves garlic, whole, unpeeled 2tbsp olive oil 1 fresh chicken ( 1.75kg)

5 slices chorizo or bacon

A few sprigs of thyme 6 medium tomatoes, quartered

heat the oven to 200c/ gas 6. mix the squash, onions, garlic and 1tbsp oil in a large roasting tin. put the chicken on top of the vegetables in the tin, and top with the chorizo slices and the remaining oil. tuck half the thyme sprigs into the chicken cavity and scatter the rest among the vegetables. roast the chicken for 1 hr. take the chicken out of the tin, stir the tomatoes into the vegetables, then put the chicken back in, basting with the juices. cook for another 30-40 min, until the chicken is cooked through and its juices run clear.