Basic chicken stock

A roast chicken carcass

1 large onion

1 large carrot

1 stick of celery

2 bay leaves

10 peppercorns

Chop the onion, carrot and celery, and place in a large pan with the rest of the ingredients. Add enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, put the lid on the pan, then simmer gently for 4 hours. Check the water level occasionally, and top up with extra water if required.

Check seasoning, and add salt if required. Allow the stock to cool, then skim off any fat if you really, really must. However, remember that the fat has a lot of flavour and gives the stock texture.

Strain the stock through a sieve, into a clean container, then discard all the bits. The meat that’s left on the bones won’t have much flavour, so it’s better to add some cooked chicken, at a later stage, if you want to make chicken soup.

You can make stock by a similar method with any meat bones. If you want a darker stock, roast the bones in a hot oven for 30 minutes before adding to the stock pot.

Stock can be kept in the fridge for a few days, or frozen until needed. Try reducing the stock down until it’s dark and almost syrupy, then freezing it in an ice tray or ice cube bags – your very own stock cubes!