Roast chicken with trompette de la mort, squash and mushroom ketchup

Begin brining the chicken the day before. Add the salt, fenugreek seeds and 2l of the water to a large pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, pour in the remaining 3l of water and chill down to 4°C. Submerge the chicken crowns in this brine for 1 hour

You can make the brown butter sauce in advance too. Add a dash of oil to a saucepan with a knob of butter and gently cook the shallots and mushrooms until lightly coloured. Add the garlic, thyme and bay leaf and gently cook for a further 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the port and wine, bring to a simmer and leave to reduce until nearly dry

After 1 hour, drain the chicken crowns, pat dry and leave uncovered in the fridge to dry out overnight

Add the chicken stock to the pan and leave to simmer and reduce by half, skimming any scum that rises to the surface. Once reduced by half, strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a clean pan and reduce further to a thick sauce consistency

Add half of the lemon juice to the beurre noisette and add a pinch of salt. Strain this mixture through a muslin cloth into the reduced sauce and whisk to combine. Add the remaining lemon juice, taste for seasoning, then cover and set aside in the fridge

The next day, begin by preparing the squash. If you have a water bath, preheat it to 85°C and place the squash in a vacuum bag with a pinch of salt, the sage stalks and a knob of butter.  Cook for 30 minutes or until soft, then set aside. If you don’t have a water bath, add the squash, sage stalks, salt and butter to a saucepan and just cover with water. Gently simmer until the squash is tender throughout, then drain (discarding the sage stalks) and set aside

While the squash cooks, make the mushroom ketchup. Sweat the onions, garlic and bay leaf in a dash of oil with a pinch of salt until lightly coloured. Add the sliced mushrooms and continue to cook until all the water they release has evaporated and the mushrooms begin to take on some colour. Add the wine and reduce by half

Add the white wine vinegar and reduce by half again, then pour in the vegetable stock and brown sugar. Reduce the mixture until nearly dry – you want just enough liquid so it will purée. Add a pinch of salt, then blitz until smooth in a blender, adding a few knobs of butter to help it emulsify. Taste for seasoning, pass through a fine sieve and keep warm

Preheat an oven to 215°C/gas mark 7. Deep-fry the reserved sage leaves in the vegetable oil for a minute or 2 until crisp, then drain on kitchen paper and set aside

Remove the outer layer from the leeks, then cut into 3cm discs (you’ll need 18 discs in total). Fry them in a pan with a knob of butter until golden brown, then season with salt and pepper, add a splash of water and 50g more butter to create an emulsion. Cover and continue to cook until the leeks are soft throughout (around 5 minutes), then keep warm

You now have all the elements prepared apart from the chicken. Smear the chicken crowns with butter and place in the oven. Cook for 18 minutes, then set aside

Gently reheat the brown butter sauce and warm up the butternut squash in a pan with a little butter. Add the mushrooms to the squash and cook for 2 minutes, then season with salt

Carve the chicken breasts off the bone and trim away any excess skin or gristle. Turn the oven down to 180°C/gas mark 4 and cook the breasts for a final 2 minutes

To serve, slice each breast lengthways in half and arrange 2 halves on each plate. Place a spoonful of mushroom ketchup between both halves, then place 3 discs of leek around them. Add 6 pieces of squash and some mushrooms, then spoon over the brown butter sauce, adding a little extra beurre noisette to split the sauce. Finish with the crispy sage leaves