Instructions: This is comfort food. If youve lots of time, follow the recipe as given; the sauce will be rich and the chicken will be tender and moist. But if time is short, use a ready-cooked chick- en and tetra-pack chicken stock and steam or boil the vegetables. It is important to use white-fleshed sweet potato to make what is essentially a scone topping.

Put a No 10-13 chicken in a large saucepan. cover with water, add a third of a tablespoon of dried tarragon (or a table- spoon of fresh), a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Reduce heat immediately to a gentle simmer, skim off foam and poach gently until the chicken is just cooked. about 1 hour.

Twenty minutes before the end of cooking time add 200 g diced carrots and 5 minutes later 2 large leeks, sliced, and 200 g peas. When chicken is cooked, drain off stock into another saucepan and boil hard to reduce for 10 minutes. Cool stock fast by sitting the saucepan in a sinkful of cold water, then transfer to the freezer to set the fat so it can be skimmed off

Skin the chicken, remove the meat from the bones and chop. Put the chicken and vegetables in a souffle or oven dish. Melt 50 g butter or margarine in a saucepan and add 3 tablespoons plain flour to make a roux. Add 250 ml chicken stock and 200 ml milk and cook gently, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Add more stock if too thick. Pour over the chicken mixture.

Meanwhile cook and mash 250 g white-fleshed sweet potato and allow to cool.

Sift together 125 g plain flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Rub in 125 g softened butter. Add a little water if necessary to make a soft dough. (Or process the ingredients in a food processor, adding the water if necessary.)

Tip onto a floured surface and with floury hands pat it out to fit inside the top of the dish containing the chicken and vegetables. Place on top of the chicken mixture. Bake in a 180 C oven for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden.

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