Spring Chicken

This seventeenth-century recipe is from Ockley in Surrey. The original suggests: “Take 12 chickens, which have been fattened for a week. When they are plucked and drawn, split them in halves down the back so that you have two dozen halves for your dish... ” The dish is unforgettable, both for its appearance and because it is delicious, a fine dish for a dinner party.