Post 112: Veg Box Boy gets over-excited. Roast chicken with 9 types of vegetables

I told you I'd got myself all a little giddy awaiting the arrival of this week's box. My box is actually a bag; one of those tall brown paper bags. I just didn't think VegBagBoy had the same ring to it; sounds kinda trampy. Anyways back to the plot; normally there's a few things sticking up at the top but the contents only reach half-way up. This week, no Sirreee, it was rammed. It was like a mini harvest festival.

I looked at all this bounty and as I scanned across, I thought of almost every bit - that'll go nice with my roast chicken. So I only went a blew the bleeding doors off, didn't I? I cooked the lot!

Well, the only thing I couldn't readily think of how to use with a roast dinner, was the onions and beetroot. But, I was going in be in the kitchen for a while anyway while faffed in my hungover state with the vegetables. So, I simmered the beetroot for two hours and pickled it. It was strangely enjoyable too to peel the outer skin off and get to the soft fleshy bit. I've very high hopes for this; especially since I've learned since my last attempt that pickled beetroot needs cooking... I'm not sure if I'll repeat this, as (i) I don't often have the two hours spare to cook with and (ii) It seems to have cost about twice as much as buying a jar from the shops anyway.

For the chicken itself. I stuff it with half a lemon, some lemon thyme - which I had in the garlic and some unpeeled garlic; because that's what Nigel Slater recommended it. I'm not sure this was a roaring success, despite putting plenty of garlic in, the taste didn't come through too well.

What I did do though, which I would say was a roaring success, was use lancashire cheese for the cauliflower cheese; 1/2 a cheese-bomb's worth to be precise. Very good.

And here it is in all it's glory, complete with VegBoxGirl about to tuck in:

• Roasted double lemon, thyme, garlic chicken
• Roasts carrots, parsnips & potatoes
• Boiled peas, leeks, kale and cabbage 
• Mashed potatoes
• Stuffing

It didn't half sort out my hangover I can tell you!


Guess what's for Tee on monday....