Chicken is one of the most popular foods - comforting, casual, easy, even celebratory, it's always in the kitchen and on the table. Plundering the globe, there is no shortage of brilliant ways to cook it, whether you need a quick supper after work, something for a lazy summer BBQ or a feast to nourish family and friends. In 'A bird in the hand', Diana Henry offers a host of new, simple and not-so-very-well known dishes starring the bird we all love.

Meet Britain's finest - and most ill-tempered - chef, Gareth Blackstock, of the prestigious Le Chateau Anglais restaurant. Each meal is a masterpiece. Just don't ask for salt.