What would family meals be without the traditional poultry - whole or in pieces?
From young cockerel to chicken, all these birds are ideal.
Here are a few recipes and tips to help you prepare your St Sever poultry.

Cutting a bird

All you need is a good clean, sharp carving knife.

Using a sharp knife, cut the skin along the side of the leg, moving down towards the joint. Twist the leg outwards so as to break the joint.	Whilst holding the leg out, cut the joint as close as possible to the back of the bird so as not to miss the "oysters" that are to be found there. Repeat the same operation on the other side.	To separate the chest (breastbone and breast) from the back, cut through the fold of skin below the ribcage, towards the neck. Pull to separate the breast from the back of the bird and cut the joints holding them together. Keep the back of the carcass to make stock.
Hold the breastbone and the breasts. Hold a breast in either hand and pull backwards in order to dislodge the breastbone. Free it with your fingers and remove it with a knife.	Cut the chest in two through the wishbone. You now have two breasts attached to the wings, and two legs (thighs and drumsticks).	To get 8 pieces: Cut each breast in two, diagonally. Each wing will thus be attached to one piece of breast.
		TERMS FOR CHICKEN BREASTS A breast is called a "suprême" when it is still attached to the wing. When all the bones have been removed, it is called a fillet.
To cut the leg in two, cut through the joint with a knife. The two resulting pieces are the thigh and the drumstick.