Packington Spring Herb Easter Cockerel

With a layer of herby stuffing under the skin of this delicious roast Cockerel dish, you can almost smell that Spring is in the air.  Served with new potatoes and our favourite take on peas ‘petits pois a la Francaise’ for an easy vegetable with a ready made sauce.  We hope you enjoy this as much as we do.

1. Preheat the oven to 190 C and remove your Cockerel from the fridge and it’s packaging so it can come up to room temperature.
2. Prepare your stuffing by putting all the stuffing ingredients in a blender and blending until smooth and all the ingredients are combined.
3. Carefully separate the skin covering the cockerel’s breasts away from the meat, using some oil on your fingers can help to do this. Slide your fingers under the skin to create two pockets for the stuffing to go in.
4. Place the herb stuffing mixture into a piping bag and pipe under the cockerel breast, aiming to create an even layer.  Any stuffing that is leftover can be placed into the cavity of the bird.
5. Cover the cockerel with some olive oil, salt and pepper and place in the hot oven.  Cook for 14 minutes per lb/450g, basting every 45 minutes or so. If the cockerel is browning more than desired, loosely cover with foil.
6. Whilst the bird is cooking, boil your potatoes and prepare your peas, so they will be ready to assemble when the cockerel is cooked.
7. To check that the bird is cooked, either use a temperature probe in the leg of the cockerel or pierce the leg and the juices should run clear.
8. When cooked, allow the cockerel to rest for around 40 minutes and cover with foil to keep warm.
9. Whilst resting, prepare your accompaniments and then serve and enjoy.