the key to making a decent chicken pilaf is having really good quality chicken and chicken stock. if you skimp on these then there is a high likelihood that the dish will be bland and not worth the effort. this dish was made using leftover meat from a roast chicken plus the stock that i had made from that chicken’s carcass.

making chicken stock whenever you have a roast is incredibly worthwhile and easy. i also ways strip the majority of the meat off the carcass, then put the bones into a large pan, cover with water, add a peeled and halved onion, a peeled carrot, a bay leaf and some peppercorns. if i have fresh parsley in then i’ll add that as well (you can just use the stems and keep the leaves for something where they will be part of the end dish). bring to the boil and then let it simmer (i cover it so there isn’t too much steam gathering in the kitchen) for an hour or two. when it’s ready, drain and strip any final tiny bits of meat off the carcass.

this dish has subtle flavours which, i think, really let the chicken shine through. we ate it with salad as a summery supper, sitting in the garden, but it was as nice the following day, eaten at room temperature as a packed lunch.

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living in london has its ups and downs and the last few weeks have epitomised that – with the heatwave that we have been experiencing, the city has been full of people beaming with joy at the chance to bare their limbs and enjoy the sun. hidden in cooler corners and under trees are those londoners who find the heat that bit much to bear and who are longing for the temperatures to cool.

i’m in the first gang and really am delighted that the weather is so glorious, however at least once a day, when i have to jump on a tube, i feel real sympathy for my cooler weather loving friends. standing (because inevitably you will be) on a hot, humid and smelly tube is no way to enjoy london life.

which is why it is all the more amazing that i decided to crank up the oven and roast a chicken. i had to though – the beautiful label anglais bird i bought via food4london was taking up too much space in my freezer.

i cooked it very simply, rubbing the skin with olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. inside i stuffed it with a mix of slow-cooked onions, breadcrumbs, fresh thyme and oregano from the garden plus lemon zest, juice and seasoning. the chicken was basted with the juices it released and we ate it, sitting in the garden, with asparagus and some of my best broccoli.

the chicken was incredibly flavoursome and the stuffing reminded me of my childhood roast chicken dinners, when both stuffing and bread sauce were obligatory. best of all there were lots of leftovers and the carcass created a wonderful stock.

it was definitely worth creating the extra heat in the kitchen.