Spring has sprung …

… we hope! It is supposed to imply that it has stopped snowing, it's getting warmer, the blossom is out – renewed hope and all that. After the wettest Easter for a long time you wouldn't hold your breath just yet!

We have to start somewhere so here goes - what's your opinion on salad? For people of a certain age the word “salad” is the stuff of nightmares and conjures up visions of limp lettuce leaves, a slice of boiled egg, ditto tomato and a spring onion – oh and if you're lucky salad cream too.

I have decided to make a salad seem more interesting - our next foray will be revisiting warm salads – I know that's a contradiction since salad is meant to be a cold dish – as I'm very fond of saying, “rules are made to be broken”. Henceforth my more interesting name for a warm salad is a “gallimaufry”. I already have a series of “ hodgepodge” dessert recipes on the blog - both words mean jumble or a medley if you prefer – we now have gallimaufry for the savoury and hodgepodge for the sweet.

First up is Chicken Gallimaufry but, before we get to chapter and verse - you know I'm always extolling the virtues of slow cooking and in particular slow cooking a whole chicken – you'll need one for the following dish. Check out the chicken label on the blog and then “Slow, strip, strain and stock for the recipe – it will take you all of 5 minutes to prepare and then it's left to its own devices for 8 hours.

You can slow cook the chicken ahead to suit your own schedule.

There are two important elements though that need attention – when your chicken is cooked remove it from the cooker and place it in a foil tray measuring 24x24cms - with sides, to cool. Strain the stock through a sieve into a jug, allow to cool, then cover and fridge.

If you have fingers that are impervious to heat then take both breasts off the bone, cool, wrap or box and then fridge. Wrap, box and fridge the remaining chicken – don't discard the foil tray or the remnants of stock left behind – it's a perfect roasting tin.

All over bar the shouting as they say, recipe up next.