Poulet au foin, chicken cooked in hay

Line the cast iron pot with hay, building a nest that reaches up the sides so it touches the whole bird.

Untruss the chicken, set it in the nest and tuck hay around it so it touches everywhere. Leave the top uncovered.

Add no salt, no pepper, no water and no seasoning of any kind.

Mix 300 g of flour with about 150 ml of water into a plain dough, half the weight of the flour in water.

Knead the dough lightly and roll it into a long rope.

Lay the rope around the rim of the pot, set the lid on and press down to seal it airtight.

Bake at 190C, fan, on the middle shelf.

Cook 50 to 55 minutes for a 1.5 kg bird; the dough colour and the smell of hay coming out of the oven say when it is done. This one took 65 minutes.

Rest the sealed pot at least 20 minutes, up to 40, to let the bird infuse.

Break the dough seal with a spatula and lift the lid.

Put the bird briefly under the grill for colour.

Carve, and finish with a grind of black pepper, a little rock salt and melted salted butter brushed over.