Serves 4

Prep: 20 min

Cook: 40 min

100g rindless smoked streaky bacon or diced pancetta

1 large onion, approx 200g

1 tsp fresh thyme, or half tsp dried

2 sticks celery

1 unwaxed lemon

200g Sabarot Puy lentils

2 chicken stock cubes

100g frozen petits pois

100g green/round beans

6 organic chicken thighs or 750g diced organic chicken thigh

2 tbsp capers in vinegar

100g young leaf spinach

50g flat-leaf parsley

Boil the kettle. Dice the bacon. Heat the oil in a spacious, heavy-bottomed, lidded pan and stir in the bacon, adjusting the heat so it cooks slowly to begin with, then increase the heat as the fat runs and turns crisp. Meanwhile, peel, halve and finely chop the onion. Peel and finely chop the celery. Remove the zest from the lemon in wafer-thin scraps. Stir the onion and thyme into the crisp bacon.

Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the celery, half tsp salt and lemon zest. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, then stir in the lentils. Dissolve the stock cubes in 1 litre of boiling water from the kettle and add to the pan. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat slightly and add the chicken. Return the liquid to the boil, reduce the heat immediately and turn to very low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Chop the beans into small pieces. Add the peas and beans and cook uncovered for 5-10 more minutes until the lentils and peas are soft and the chicken cooked through. Add the capers and melt the spinach into the pan. Adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Serve in shallow bowls with fork and spoon, with a generous garnish of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley.

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