Fresh tarragon perfect to spice up roast chicken

The first time I tasted tarragon, I went wild for it, using it in all kinds of savoury dishes. Now I'm more judicious, but it's one of my favourite herbs. The small, delicate leaves have a warm, distinctive, anise-y flavour, and sprigs of it are used in the French herb mixes known as fines herbes and bouquet garni.

Tarragon works very well with meats and seafood, and in creamy sauces. It's an essential seasoning for sauce béarnaise, which is the classical accompaniment for steak frites.

The fresh herb has a much stronger flavour than the dried stuff. Unfortunately, fresh tarragon isn't easy to find (it's never there when you really need it) and I've not had much luck with growing it on my balcony.

When I do find fresh tarragon, I buy a pack of it, use what I need (a little goes a long way) and freeze the rest: I divide the sprigs into amounts I'll need for a dish, lay them on a sheet of cling-film and roll it up as tightly as possible, squeezing out the air. Then I'll put the bundles in a ziplock bag and freeze. Use the herb while it's still frozen, because the leaves darken as they thaw.

For an easy variation on roast chicken, combine softened butter with chopped tarragon leaves, chopped parsley, minced shallots and a little minced garlic, then season the mixture with salt and pepper.

Use your fingers to gently loosen the skin covering the breast of the chicken, then spread the herb butter between the skin and meat. Smooth the skin back down, then stuff sprigs of tarragon in the cavity of the bird. Roast the chicken - as the herb butter melts, it will baste the meat, flavouring it and moistening it. Carve the chicken when it's ready and spoon the buttery juices over the meat.