Nigel Slater’s recipes for roast chicken with pepper and olives, and marinated strawberries

Easy chicken and simple berries for lazy summer days

I lightly brown the plump cushions of chicken, their skin turning glossy and golden, then turn them over and brown the other side. They are to roast with long, scarlet peppers, pointed like a sultan’s slippers, tiny potatoes and whole cloves of garlic. Seasoned with dried lavender and thyme, oregano and salty green olives, the dish emerges from the oven smelling of deepest summer. No side dish is needed save a bowl of watercress and butterhead lettuce, whose leaves will soften in the warmth from the sweet aromatic juices on our plates.

At the height of summer, I cherish such unfussy cooking; recipes that look after themselves, the ingredients working magic in the oven while we get on with other things. What appeals here, as much as the crisp-skinned chicken and soft peppers, are the juices, sweet and golden and delicious enough to make everyone reach for a lump of bread. It is worth mentioning that the chicken heats up well the next day, too, should you need it to, and can be eaten cold.

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