English Free-Range Chicken: The Heart of the Perfect Roast

Slow-grown, naturally reared, and packed with deep, traditional flavour. Our English free-range birds deliver that classic golden, crackling skin and succulent, melt-in-the-mouth meat you only get from high-welfare farming.

Chef’s Tips for Maximum Flavour

• Build the Aromatics: Stuff the cavity with a halved lemon, crushed garlic cloves, and sprigs of fresh rosemary to perfume the meat from the inside out. Scatter a sliced onion and root veg into the roasting tin beneath the bird to create a rich, caramelised base for gravy.

• Keep the Breast Juicy: Rub soft salted butter under the skin, or drape thick rashers of streaky bacon across the crown halfway through cooking to baste the breast continuously.

• The Inverted Rest: Once out of the oven, flip the chicken upside down into its own roasting juices, tent loosely with foil, and rest for 15 to 20 minutes. The juices naturally redistribute through the breast, keeping every slice extraordinarily tender.

Cooking Guide

• Roasting Time: Cook at 190°C (170°C fan) for roughly 20–25 minutes per 450g (1 lb), plus an extra 20 minutes.

• The Golden Rule: The only foolproof way to avoid dry chicken is a meat thermometer. Aim for 75°C at the thickest part of the thigh (away from the bone). Clear juices when pierced are a reliable backup.

Serving Suggestions

Carve thick slices alongside crisp, goose-fat roast potatoes, fluffy Yorkshire puddings, and braised buttered greens. Deglaze the roasting tin with a generous splash of dry white wine or cider, scrape up the sticky browned bits, and simmer into a glossy, fragrant gravy.