Turmeric gets everywhere. All it needs is a dusting and whatever it touches is stained yellow. So to have to massage it into a chicken before cooking is going to lead to yellow fingers. I started squeezing out a couple of limes over the chicken. I then added two tea spoons of turmeric and flexed my hands before rubbing it in.

As anticipated my hands came out yellow. So the chicken was put to one side for an hour or so to allow the flavours to mellow.

To cook I took down the big Le Creuset  and browned off the chicken before adding a couple of bay leaves, cardamom seeds and some chopped garlic. I then added a pint of water, put the lid on and left it for an hour and a half.

By then the chicken was falling off the bone and we were left with a thick yellow sauce tasting of turmeric.

Afterwards we ate quinces cooked in the oven with sugar, lemon juice and water laid out on a bed of whipped cream.

Listening now to Tom Waits singing Kentucky Avenue – waiting for the kids to get it – another few years to go. But the house is smelling good!