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My go to Sunday lunch is a whole roast chicken- there’s something so comforting and therapeutic about the whole process- from preparing to eating. This Provencal version marries sweet roasted grapes and fragrant- aromatic rosemary as a backdrop for the salty roast chicken- and its exquisite.
My friend Christophe, who also happens to supply my vegetables, hails from a small village outside of Arles, which is surrounded by vineyards. He says all the households would prepare a version of this recipe when grapes from the harvest were abundant and in danger of going to waste. This is mostly his Mum’s recipe.
1 oven ready free-range chicken, about 1.8kg
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 red onion, cut into quarters, skin left intact
1 lemon
200ml red wine
700g seedless black grapes- ideally on the stalk
300ml white chicken stock- fresh or home-made is best
1 bulb garlic cut in half on the width
Sea salt, black pepper, and olive oil for cooking
Heat an oven to 200 degrees
Put the onion in a roasting tin. Rub the chicken with oil. Season the chicken inside the cavity and the skin, place half a lemon, half a garlic bulb and a sprig of rosemary in the cavity. Place the chicken on the onion and transfer the tray to the oven. Roast the chicken for 30 minutes or until the skin has started to brown and caramelise. Now, turn the heat down to 160 degrees, scatter around the grapes and remaining rosemary and pour around the wine and half the stock. Continue to cook for a further 45 minutes until cooked through- the chicken should be crisp and golden on the outside and the juice should run clear from the thigh when pierced. Remove the chicken from the tray and transfer to a plate. Cover and rest for 15 minutes. Strain all the juices from the tray into a saucepan and transfer the grapes in the tray, back into the oven. Roast for a further 5 minutes until sticky and begin to caramelise.
Add the remaining stock to the saucepan and bring to the boil for 10 minutes or until the juices have reduced and thickened. Serve the chicken with the sticky, sweet grapes and sauce.
Candlelight, Champagne and a table laden with good things. Our kind of dinner party, with none of the washing up.
This month, Cubitt House Drinks With Asterley Bros.
A little British ingenuity, plenty of patience and a great deal of good taste. Just how we like it.
From spiced wine to Amaro, Sweet Vermouth and a rather good Martini, we’re getting to know the wonderful world of @asterleybros
From a spiced wine base to their signature Amaro, Asterley Bros have mastered the art of British aperitifs. Their journey led to a beautifully crafted Sweet Vermouth, launched at Schofield’s, alongside a Dry Vermouth made for a rather good Martini.
#CubittHouse #CubittHouseDrinksWith #AsterleyBros
The sound of a pint being poured. Possibly our favourite pub soundtrack.
A Very Cubitt Christmas.
From Mayfair to Notting Hill, our pubs are getting ready for the festive season. Christmas lunches, drinks with friends, office parties and private rooms for those who want the place to themselves.
Book your Christmas at Cubitt House.
Sundays are for feasting. Roasts with all the trimmings, generous jugs of gravy and a table full of people you’d happily spend the afternoon with.
