Having had a bit to say about Heston Blumenthal's method for perfect roast chook, it seems beholden upon me to give some instruction as to how to achieve a wonderful result, without the perceived food poisoning risk. I'm not saying this method delivers perfection, but you will be impressed with the quality of the cooked bird.

Nine times out of ten, I cook a roast chicken about the same as anyone else, season inside, rub with a little oil and because I enjoy a neat bird, a rudimentary trussing is in order. Straight into the oven at 200c (400f) until cooked; with a 1.5kg (3.5lb) chicken, that should take about 1 hour, perhaps 15 minutes more, depending on whether you took the bird out of the fridge early or not. The result is a generally moist roast with a crisp skin.

But when I want to make an impression, I look to the French for their method of roasting, which produces a gloriously moist and subtly scented chicken that will bring a tear to your eye, with the only downside being the skin doesn't crisp up as well. Pay your money, make your choice.

The first thing to do, is buy the best bird you can; there is a remarkable difference between genuine free range and supermarket birds. We always use Glenloth chickens, which if you live near St Kilda, a 1.5kg bird can be bought from Gruner Butcher & Deli for the great price of $16, a nice bargain. The amazing thing about Glenloth is that they start with exactly the same breed of chicks that the supermarket growers use, but all similarity ends there.

When you are ready to cook your bird, it is important to remove it from the fridge for about an hour before you pop it in the oven and leave it in a cool, protected spot. Half an hour before cooking, turn on the oven to 200c (400f), then, remove your bird from the plastic wrapping and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Place a 20g (3/4oz) knob of butter inside as well as two or three sprigs of tarragon* and season the inside cavity very well with salt and fresh ground pepper, a chicken can take a lot of seasoning, but do not season the outside skin, salt here would hinder browning by drawing out juices.

Truss the bird as best you can, I simply take two lengths of kitchen string, twine, not Bridget Jones's nasty blue plastic crap. With the first string, simply tie the drumsticks to each other and with the second piece, run it around the chicken where the wings are to hold them in place against the body. Knot of choice? Granny, what else. It is necessary to truss the bird as you need to move it around in the baking dish.

Next, take about 30g (1.25oz) softened butter and rub all over the bird, you want a fairly thick coat of butter. In a baking tray that will hold the bird snugly, pour in 300ml (1.25cups) of hot, homemade chicken stock. Place the chicken, breast side up on a roasting rack, cover with a buttered baking paper and place in the baking tray with the chicken stock, the bird should not be touching the stock.

Place the baking tray in the oven and roast for twenty minutes. Remove from the oven, turn the chicken on its side and baste with its juices, cover with the paper. Roast for another twenty minutes, remove from the oven and turn it so it's resting on the other side and baste again, cover with the paper. Roast another twenty minutes, remove from the oven, turn breast side up, baste again, do not put the paper back this time, allowing the chicken to brown and return to the oven for fifteen minutes to finish cooking. To test for doneness, pierce the thick part of the thigh, any juices should be clear, if any sign of pinkness, roast for a bit longer. If need be, top up the stock with hot water from a kettle.

After removing from the oven, let the chicken rest in a warm spot for fifteen minutes while you make a sauce from the pan juices, remove any excess butter and oil first.

*tarragon isn't strictly necessary, but it forms a perfect marriage with chicken, you will thank me.