ROAST chicken is a great standby at any time of the year.

Of course, how to achieve a good roast chicken and what to do with it once it's cooked is a matter of preference that will vary from household to household, from generation to generation.

With its crisp, salty skin, moist breast meat and dense, meaty dark meat, a whole roast chicken appeals to everyone from a sophisticated diner to a finicky youngster.

Do you use high-temperature, fast roasting? Or should you take it low and slow? Truss it tight or leave it loose? Baste? Yes? No?

And it might sound sacrilege, but there's more to roasting chicken than just to eat simply as roast chicken. I often roast one and shred the tasty meat to use as part of these delicious little chicken and vegetable pies. They're great both as a light lunch and dinner.

The filling can be prepared and frozen in the dishes, for later use.

ROAST CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE PIES

  • 5 thick bacon rashers, or 100g kaiserfleisch, sliced
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 large carrots, finely chopped
  • 250g green beans, halved crosswise
  • About 1 tbsp chopped fresh marjoram
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 2/3 cup creme fraiche, plus extra for the pastry glaze
  • 3 cups coarsely shredded roasted chicken, skin removed (see tips right) Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2-3 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

Preheat the oven to 230C. Cook the bacon or kaiserfleisch in a large heavy-based frying pan over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels.

Chop the bacon and set aside. Add the onion to the pan and stir-fry in the bacon fat until tender and golden, about 8 minutes.

Add the carrot, beans and marjoram and stir-fry for a minute. Add the stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook until the vegetables are almost tender and some liquid is reduced, about 8 minutes.

Stir in two-thirds cup creme fraiche, the shredded roasted chicken and the reserved cooked bacon. Bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide among individual serving dishes or ramekins, the number will depend on the size of your dishes. This mix is enough for six individual serves.

Unfold the puff pastry on a work surface and cut rounds to top each dish, allowing a 1cm overhang for each. Top the filled dishes with a pastry round; fold the edges down on to the rims of the dishes. To finish, brush the tops with extra creme fraiche. Cut a small cross in the centre of each pastry top and pierce the top with a fork several times. Bake until the pastry tops are golden brown and the filling is heated through, about 20 minutes.

Variation: You can also make one large pie. Place the filling in a 23cm-deep pie dish. Set a single defrosted pastry round over the filling, and then fold down the edges on to the rim. Baking time will still be about 22 minutes. Serves 4-6.