Recipes from Annabel Karmel's Busy Mum's Cookbook

ONE-POT CHICKEN WITH SPRING VEGETABLES

Serves 4

1.5-1.6kg chicken

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp runny honey

1 tsp lemon juice

300g baby new potatoes, scrubbed and any larger ones halved

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole

200g baby carrots

300ml hot chicken stock

300ml white wine

100g frozen peas

2 tbsp tarragon leaves

Salt and black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Put the chicken into a large, shallow ovenproof dish or skillet. Drizzle over the olive oil, honey and lemon juice and season. Roast for 30 minutes until lightly golden brown, then add the potatoes, onion, garlic and carrots and toss to coat with the olive oil, honey and lemon in the dish around the chicken,.

Pour the stock and wine over the vegetables, then put the dish back in the oven for a further 45 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through and the vegetables are tender (you might need to cover the chicken with foil if it is getting too brown). Add the peas and cook for a final five minutes.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with tarragon before serving.

APRICOT, PECAN, RAISIN AND CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Makes 20 cookies

100g unsalted butter, softened

100g light soft brown sugar

1 large egg

150g porridge oats

75g self-raising flour, sifted

A pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

50g dried apricots, roughly chopped

50g raisins

25g pecans, roughly chopped

100g dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas4 and line two large baking sheets with non-stick baking paper.

Cream the butter with the sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy, then add the egg and beat again. Fold in the remaining ingredients until well incorporated.

Shape the cookie dough into 20 balls. Place on the prepared baking sheets, well-spaced apart, and press down slightly to flatten. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden but still slightly soft in the middle. Leave to cool on the sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Suitable for freezing once baked