It always strikes me as so sad when people say they don’t eat as a family any more.

It’s such a great time to get together around a table and chat, and teaches your children to value and respect food – to see it as something central to their lives.

I know we’re all busy nowadays, and it can be hard to fit in a proper sit-down meal during the week, but come the weekend Tana and I always try to make the time.

That’s when the great British roast comes into its own. We don’t even have to call the children to the table as the delicious smells wafting round the house soon bring them in. Here are some of my favourite roast recipes.

Roast Free-Range Chicken with roast parsnips, savoy cabbage and bread sauce
Serves 4
A good-quality free-range chicken bears no resemblance to the mass-reared supermarket chicken pumped with additives and growth-enhancers. The flavour is far stronger and a good bird will have a layer of fat beneath the skin that will baste the bird naturally during cooking. These birds need no gravy; just serve with the cooking juices and a generous spoonful of bread sauce.

1 x 1.5kg free-range chicken
1 tbsp olive oil
1/ 2 lemon
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of thyme
1/2 head garlic
1 small onion, peeled
Freshly ground salt and pepper

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.

2 Rub the skin with a little olive oil and place the lemon, bay leaf, thyme, garlic and onion in the cavity of the bird. Tie the legs together securely with string. Season with salt and pepper and place on its side on a trivet in a roasting pan.

3 Cook for 20 minutes, then turn the bird to the other side for another 20 minutes. Finally turn it on to its back and roast for a further 20-30 minutes or until the bird is golden-brown in colour. To check the bird is cooked, pierce the thigh with a carving fork and make sure the juices run clear. Leave to rest for 15 minutes in a warm place before serving.

4 Drain all the juices into a gravy boat. Remove any excess fat and serve with the chicken.

Parsnips

Serves 4
Young baby parsnips are available now and they taste particularly sweet. Parboil them for a few minutes in salted water and then pop them under the chicken for the last 30 minutes of the cooking time so they are lightly glazed.

8 baby parsnips, cut in half lengthways
25g butter
Freshly ground salt and pepper

1 Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the parsnips for 4-5 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a knife.

2 Drain and toss in the butter. Season with pepper.

3 Place under the roast 30 minutes before the end of the roasting time.

Savoy cabbage
Serves 4
Savoy cabbage has a wonderful nutty taste and needs to be steamed until just tender – certainly not boiled to death, as it will then lose its flavour and texture, not to mention nutrients.

1 large or 2 small Savoy cabbages, cut into quarters or eighths
50g butter
Freshly ground salt and pepper

1 Place a steamer over a pan of boiling water and cook the cabbage for 6-8 minutes or until just tender.

2 Transfer to a warmed serving dish and add the butter. Season well and serve. Alternatively, arrange around the chicken with the parsnips.

Other roast recipes

Loin of pork with caramelised apples

Sirloin of beef with Yorkshire puddings and roast red onions

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