Reduce the wine and the stock, separately, until they each come to 250ml (9fl oz) of liquid.

Trim the chicken of any raggedy bits of skin and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a sauté pan and brown the chicken legs all over.

When they’re a good golden colour – and it is really important to get this as it looks and tastes much better in the finished dish – remove them to a plate.

Pour all but 1 tbsp fat out of the pan.

Add the onions to the pan and cook over a medium-low heat until they are pale gold.

Add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes.

Pour on the reduced stock and wine, the cherry juice (if you’ve been able to get some), herbs, cinnamon stick and sour cherries.

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer.

Return the chicken legs – together with any juices that have run out of them – to the pan.

Season, cover and cook for 20 minutes, scooping the wine up over the chicken from time to time.

Take the lid off and cook for another 20 minutes.

Put the parsnips in a saucepan, cover with the chicken stock and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat a little and cook until completely tender, about 15 minutes.

Strain, reserving the cooking liquor.

Put the parsnips in a food processor or blender (a blender produces a smoother purée) and process with all the other ingredients, with just enough of the cooking liquor to make a fine silky purée; remember you are not making a soup, the mixture should be smooth but not too thin.

Taste for seasoning and adjust any elements you think are not quite right.

Scrape the purée back into the pan and reheat it gently.

The juices in the chicken will have reduced and you should be left with enough sauce just to coat the chicken legs and the fruit.

Taste for seasoning and sprinkle on the thyme leaves.

Serve the chicken from the sauté pan with the parsnip purée.