NIgella's Italian Roast Chicken with Peppers and Olives

I have a fair bit to add to my rather ignored blog. For those of you who live at this end of the earth in the South Pacific where it is lovely and very very hot at the moment, will know that it's our big school holidays. The children are off school for at least 6-7 weeks so that combined with Christmas and New Year makes for a very busy time. At the beginning of each long break it always seems like it's endless like we will have to find lots to do to fill in our time. But it's amazing how fast it all goes. All of a sudden going back to school with all the new requirements is upon us and I realise that I have hardly done anything or caught up with the people I have wanted to. 

Anyway for those of you with little time, little inclination but with a taste for good food, then this recipe is one for you. I got Nigella Lawson's book 'Nigellissima' for Xmas and whipped this up one night. Yum yum yum!!! Give it a go because it is delicious!

Italian Roast Chicken with Peppers and Olives

1 whole chicken
1 lemon, cut in half
4 sprigs rosemary
3 leeks, washed and trimmed (I think I only used 2)
2 red peppers
1 orange pepper
1 yellow pepper (or use whatever mix of colours you want just not green....yuk)
100g pitted black olives
60ml olive oil
salt (use Maldon sea salt) and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C. Put the chicken into a roasting tin and put the lemon halves and 2 sprigs rosemary up it's bum.

Cut each leek into 3 logs then slice lengthwise. Then remove the core and seeds from the peppers and slice them into strips. Add to the tin with the olives.

Pour the olive oil mostly over the veges but some over the chicken too. Add the rosemary sprigs to the veges along with salt and pepper to tastes then stir well to make sure everything is coated with the oil.

Sprinkle over some sea salt flakes and roast until cooked. It's ok for the veges to be a bit scorched in parts. Remover the chicken and rest about 10 mins. Keep the veges warm in the oven. 

Cut the chicken up chunkily and transfer to a warmed platter, then remove the veges with a slotted spoon and arrange on the chicken. Finally pour over the browned juices from the bottom of the tin.

Nigella recommends some nice bread to mop up the juices and maybe a green salad.