Step 1

Put the chickens in a casserole large enough to hold them. Add the carrot, bouquet garni, salt, peppercorns and wine, and enough water to just cover. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce to a gentle simmer and poach for 40 minutes or until tender. Leave to cool in the liquid; this takes some time, so you could even leave them overnight.

Step 2

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion and cook gently for 3-4 minutes. Add the curry powder and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato purée, wine, bay leaf and 100ml water. Bring to the boil, add salt, pepper and sugar to taste, the lemon slices and juice. Simmer, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes. Strain and leave to cool. Remove the lemon slices.

Step 3

Add the curry mix to the mayonnaise, a little at a time, then add apricot jam to taste. Adjust the seasoning. Stir in 2-3 tbsp of the whipped cream. Take half the sauce and mix with the remaining whipped cream.

Step 4

Joint the chickens, removing the bones with care, and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.

Step 5

Mix the chicken with the creamier half of the curry sauce. Arrange on a dish and coat with the extra curry sauce. Serve with a rice salad.

Step 6

For the rice salad, rinse the rice, place in a pan, cover with cold water, add the salt and bring to the boil. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the frozen petits pois and cook for 5 minutes more. Drain in a colander and refresh under cold water. Leave to cool fully. Meanwhile, whisk together the olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and some seasoning. Tip the rice and peas into a bowl, stir in the diced cucumber, chopped parsley and dressing.