This is a very old dish, invented - or so the story goes - by Julius Caesar. A group of Gauls had been cornered Asterix-fashion by one of Caesar's garrisons. To prove that they had plenty to eat, the Gauls sent out an old cockerel to the enemy, with a message around its neck saying 'Bon appetitf Caesar promptly invited the leaders of the Gaulish tribes to a dinner, in the course of which he served the cockerel (cooked to perfection in wine and rare herbs), promising the Gauls that if they surrendered, he would not only give them the recipe, but personally ensure that they and their descendants ate well and lived in prosperity for ever. Did they believe him. The story doesn't tell... Make this dish the night before serving to let the flavours infuse and intensify.