Spit Roast Chicken with Vegetables and Egg and Lemon Sauce

Put a handful of fresh thyme in the cavity of the chicken. Paint the chicken all over with olive oil, and season liberally with salt and pepper. Put the chicken on to the spit, push the spit guides into the flesh, and then truss with string as tightly as you can otherwise the chicken will move about as it shrinks while roasting  Picture  .

Load up the spit roast pit with sufficient wood/charcoal/whatever you are using to keep going for a couple of hours, light and let it get hot. When ready put the spit over the fire and roast for 1½ to 2 hours until the juices run clear when pierced with a skewer  Picture  .

Meanwhile prepare the vegetables: trim and half the broccoli through the stems and put into a steamer, clean and cut the baby turnips into thick slices, and cut the courgettes into thick rounds. Prepare the egg and lemon sauce up until the point of mixing with the egg and lemon  Recipe  .

When ready stem the broccoli until just tender, take out the steamer and finish off in a pan in a little olive oil and lemon. Cook the turnips in the oven in a little olive oil for about 20 minutes at 375°F/190°C/Reg5 until tender, and sprinkle with chopped parsley when ready. Saute the courgettes until nicely brown. Keep the vegetables warm.

Take the chicken off the spit  Picture  , cover with foil and allow to rest for five minutes or so while you finish off the vegetables. Carve the chicken, arrange on serving plates with the vegetables and sauce and serve  Zoom  .