When I was around seventeen or so my grandmother, who was the pin up girl for elegance, style, manners and restraint, took me aside and told me most sincerely "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach".  She followed up this statement by telling me when she fell in love with my grandfather she enrolled in "Domestic Science College" to learn how to cook. Then amid great secrecy, akin only to the military planning leading up to the D Day invasion, she made him a pair of pink silk pajamas.  Shortly after she presented him with this extraordinarily brazen gift, Ernest William Edwards and Thelma Irene Foxley became engaged to be married.  This begs the question "what do men really want?"  Is it really as simple as a home cooked meal and a negligee - or silk pajamas - to keep your beloved happy?

In this vein, mistaken or otherwise, I offer up the quintessential home cooked meal. Roast chicken with a rich gravy, mashed potatoes laced with cream, green beans drenched in a buttery lemon sauce and a rich, dark chocolate cake.  The negligee? I'm afraid you're on your own.

For the Roast Chicken.

1, 4 lb chicken (organic if possible)

1 lemon (cut into quarters)

2 cloves of garlic

Fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage)

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter (room temperature)

salt and pepper

1 large onion

For the gravy

1/2 cup of white wine

1/2 cup of chicken stock

1 tablespoon of flour

salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 425 F

Bring the chicken to room temperature.

Rub the butter all over the chicken.

Stuff the cavity with the lemon, garlic and plenty of fresh herbs.

Season the skin with the salt and pepper.

Place in a good sized roasting pan.  Chop the onion in to quarters and place around the chicken along with a few more fresh herbs.

Place the chicken in the oven and cook for 15 minutes. 

Turn the temperature down to 375F and cook for a further 1- 1/4 hours. 

The chicken is cooked when a thermometer reads 160 degrees in the thickest part of the leg, or if you don't have a thermometer, when the juices run clear.

Baste the chicken as often as you can remember during the cooking process to produce a wonderful golden skin.

When cooked, remove the chicken to a platter and cover with foil.  Leave to rest for at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile make the gravy. 

Place the roasting pan on a low heat on the stove.

Add 1/2 cup of white wine, 1/2 cup of chicken stock.

Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer.  Scrape up the all the bits on the bottom of the pan.  Let it simmer for a few minutes. 

Spoon off any fat that rises to the surface.

Sprinkle over the flour and stir until the gravy thickens. Check seasonings.

Carve the chicken and pour the luscious gravy over the top.