HEALING CHICKEN BONE BROTH

THIS classic medicinal food is used all over the world to soothe troubled guts and aid recovery. It’s the perfect way to use up leftover chicken bones – at about 40 calories per portion.

INGREDIENTS (MAKES APPROX TWO LITRES SERVES EIGHT):

3 tbsp olive oil 4 celery stalks, roughly chopped 2 small onions, chopped 2 leeks, trimmed 1 large garlic clove, halved 2 carrots, chopped 1kg chicken wings and/or chicken carcasses (ideally organic) 1 tbsp live apple cider vinegar (ideally organic) 2 bay leaves 1 bouquet garni Handful of parsley stalks 6-8 black peppercorns

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oil in a large pan with a lid and sauté the celery, onions and leeks for 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, chicken, cider vinegar, bay leaves, bouquet garni, parsley and peppercorns.

Pour in 2-2.5 litres of water and bring everything to a gentle simmer, then cover the pan and cook gently for at least 3 hours, ideally for 5-6 hours, to get the most nutrients from the bones.

Check occasionally to ensure that it has not dried out and top up with water if needed, skimming any scum from the surface.

Place a sieve over a large bowl and pour the stock through it, allowing it to drip for 15 minutes. For a thicker, tastier broth you can gently press the soft vegetables through the sieve with a spoon.

Either use it immediately or let it cool, then ladle it into containers and keep it in the fridge for up to five days. It can also be frozen.

From The Clever Guts Diet Recipe Book, by Dr Clare Bailey and Joy Skipper, Short Books, £14.99.