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Hindle Wakes

Whole chicken covered in lemon sauce on wooden board. Pewter plate of chicken, prune stuffing and lemon sauce. Blue dish of salad leaves and primrose flowers. For Hindle Wakes recipe.

Wakes weeks were autumn festivals to mark the end of the long days of summer and the coming of the short days of winter.  A dish of chicken stuffed with prunes and served with a lemon sauce was eaten during these festivals.  It is not clear why this particular dish was associated with this time of year although it might be that the pale colour of the chicken and the dark prune stuffing represent the light of summer and dark of winter.  It is possible that the recipe dates back to medieval times when the use of fruit with meat dishes, influenced by Middle Eastern cooking, was introduced to England by returning crusaders. Another explanation to its origin is that it arrived with Flemish weavers in the fourteenth century. However, the above explanations could well be inventions. The play Hindle Wakes (1912) by Stanley Houghton about an affair between a mill girl and the mill-owner’s son is set in Hindle which is a fictitious place name based on Hindley, near Wigan.  The first recipe for this chicken dish does not appear until 1932 in Florence White’s Good Things in Englandsuggesting it is a twentieth century invention named after the play rather than the mythical, historical explanations as to its origin.

Equipment

  • Weighing scales
  • Measuring jug
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Trussing needle and thread
  • Large lidded saucepan
  • Medium saucepan

Preparation method

  • Place all the stuffing ingredients in the large mixing bowl and use your hands to mix everything together.
  • Spoon the stuffing into the inside cavity of the chicken.
  • Sew up the chicken with the trussing needle and thread and place in the large saucepan.
  • Add the onion, seasonings, vinegar and sugar.
  • Cover completely with cold water and bring to the boil skimming any scum that rises to the surface.
  • Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer for about 1 ½ hours or until the chicken and stuffing are completely cooked.
  • Remove from the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the stock.
  • Once it has reached room temperature lift the chicken out of the saucepan and place on a chopping board. Reserve the cooking liquid (stock) for the lemon sauce.
  • Remove the skin from the chicken.
  • Place the chicken on a large serving dish, cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
  • Once the chicken has cooled remove from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature.
  • To make the lemon sauce, melt the butter in the medium saucepan. Add the flour, stir well and cook for 2 minutes stirring all the while.
  • Add a ladleful of the reserved chicken stock and whisk into the roux. Stir until thick and smooth. Add another ladleful of chicken stock and whisk in.
  • Keep adding the stock, stirring continually, until you have the right consistency. It should be a little thicker than double cream. Remove from the heat.
  • Add the lemon zest and juice and stir in. Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature.
  • Add the egg yolk and beat into the sauce.
  • Reheat the sauce and simmer until hot.
  • Pour half of the sauce over the chicken to completely cover it. Decorate with lemon slices and scatter over the chopped parsley.
  • Place the remaining sauce into a jug or gravy boat.
  • To serve, carve the chicken and make sure everyone gets a generous spoonful of stuffing. Pass the sauce round to pour over their chicken. Serve with a green salad decorated with seasonal, edible flowers such as primroses or violets in the spring, nasturtium flowers in the summer.

Tip: After you have peeled onions or shallots, cut it in half and remove the inner shoot as it can cause indigestion
Tip: To make breadcrumbs the best way is to place chunks of bread into a blender (I use a Nutribullet) and whizz for up to a minute
More Medieval chicken dishes
Blank maunger
Brouet de cannelle
Dillegrout
Hochepot de poulaille
 

Norman and Medieval

Serves:
4
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Cooling time 2 hours
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the stuffing

  • 120 g fresh white breadcrumbs
  • 230 g prunes, stoned and chopped
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground mace
  • 20 g fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp melted butter
  • Grated zest of an unwaxed lemon
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice

For the chicken

  • 1.5kg whole chicken
  • 1 onion, peeled and halved
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 140 ml white wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp light muscovado sugar
  • Enough cold water to cover

For the lemon sauce

  • 30 g butter
  • 30 g plain flour
  • Liquid from cooking the chicken (stock)
  • Grated zest and juice of an unwaxed lemon
  • 1 medium egg yolk

For decoration

  • Lemon slices
  • Finely chopped fresh parsley

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Hindle Wakes
Serving Size
 
450 g
Amount per Serving
Calories
826
Percent of Daily Value*
Fat
 
35
g
54
%
Saturated Fat
 
13
g
81
%
Cholesterol
 
285
mg
95
%
Sodium
 
334
mg
15
%
Potassium
 
2158
mg
62
%
Carbohydrates
 
74
g
25
%
Fiber
 
6.7
g
28
%
Sugar
 
29
g
32
%
Protein
 
58
g
116
%
Calcium
 
58
mg
6
%
Iron
 
3.3
mg
18
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Keywords

Chicken, Lemons, Medieval, prunes

© Dr Caroline Gordon 
2026
Illustrations by Chichi Parish
Site by Anselm Eustace