Herbs and cream cheese slotted in under the skin along the breasts not only flavour the bird but also keep the flesh beautifully moist – and pushing the mixture in is not the fiddle it sounds. Thyme works particularly well, but ring the changes with tarragon, marjoram, dill or sage, being more moderate with pungent herbs such as sage. Serves 4 For the underskin stuffing 75g cream cheese 2 tsp of thyme, finely chopped if necessary zest of half a small unwaxed lemon 1 gar

Another from my Sunday Times recipe series, again very relevant right now - November and the run-up to Christmas are definitely a time when a little bit of scrimping wouldn't go amiss... They aren’t cheap eats in the completely threadbare student sense, but ideas for entertaining on a tighter budget. After all, feeding friends at home is perennially the new going out, isn’t it? They involve cheaper cuts and types of meat and poultry and fewer or less luxurious ingredients. No