Ingredients

• 1.8kg free range chicken

• 1kg plain flour
• 200g sea salt flakes
• 650mlwater, at room temperature

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small brown onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup coarsely chopped parsley
• ¼ cup coarsely chopped tarragon
• 1 cup crustless torn sourdough bread pieces
• 100g prunes, pitted, soaked in 50ml Armagnac (or Brandy) for 15 minutes
• 50g dried figs, coarsely chopped

• 2 bunches purple Dutch carrots, peeled and trimmed
• 1 Packham pear, quartered and cored
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 4 cloves garlic, whole unpeeled bruised with flat of knife
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 4 large potatoes cut roughly into 8 pieces each
• ¼ cup pre-rendered duck fat
• 1black pudding sausage, sliced
• 1granny smith apple, peeled and cubed

• 4 small fennel bulbs, trimmed and quartered
• 300ml vegetable or chicken stock
• Chopped parsley and tarragon, to serve

• Mixed baby vegetables such as carrot, fennel, celeriac and parsnip, trimmed and cleaned and cut into sticks
• 2 x 47.5g tins Ortiz anchovies in olive oil

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Method

Preparation: 50 minutes
Cooking: 1 hour 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes resting

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C fan forced.

2. For the stuffing, heat oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat and cook onion until starting to soften, add garlic and cook until nicely browned and fragrant.

Combine cooked onions and garlic with parsley, tarragon, sourdough, soaked prunes, figs, salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse until roughly combined, you don’t want this too smooth you are after a bit of texture. Set aside.

3. For the salt crust, combine flour and sea salt in a large bowl and mix to combine. Make a well in the middle and pour in water, mixing to make a soft pliable dough. Knead the dough until it comes together. Place on a large piece of baking paper and roll out to about 1cm thick and so it's big enough to wrap the chicken completely.

4. Half-fill the chicken cavity with the stuffing. Lay the chicken breast-side down on the rolled out dough. Fold the dough over the chicken and join down the back. Ensure there are absolutely no gaps, it needs to be sealed tight. Roll the chicken over and place in a baking paper-lined baking dish, score a pattern in the top of the dough if you like.

5. Bake in the oven for 1 hour 10 minutes, test with a skewer to see if it’s cooked all the way through, test in between the thigh and breast, it should reach 75C if tested with a meat thermometer. Rest for 30 minutes before cutting off the pastry. Remove a pastry lid and check if chicken is cooked between the breast and thigh. If juices don't run clear, return to oven for another 10 minutes until cooked.

6. Combine the carrots, pears, thyme and garlic in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and season well. Roll it all around ensuring everything is coated and then bake for 30-40 minutes in the same oven as the chicken.

7. Cover the potatoes in cold water, season with salt, bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes or until soft, drain in a colander and give it a good shake to rough up the edges. In a frying pan heat some duck fat and fry the potatoes until they start to get golden, add the black pudding and apple and cook until golden. Season and they are ready to go.

8. For the fennel place in a large saucepan or frying pan with a lid, add enough stock to come half way up the fennel bulbs. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 8 minutes or until the fennel is soft. Place on serving plate and top with fresh herbs.

9. For the crudité gently melt the anchovies and their oil over a low heat until all dissolved, pour into a bowl and arrange the raw vegetables around the centre.

10. To serve put everything thing into individual serving bowls and crack the chickens open at the table for a spectacular centre piece for your Maggie Beer inspired family feast.