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Preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C/Gas Mark 8.
Smear the butter with your hands all over the bird.
Put the chicken in a roasting tin that will accommodate it with room to spare.
Season liberally with salt and pepper and squeeze over the juice of the lemon.
Put the herbs and garlic inside the cavity, together with the squeezed out lemon halves.
Roast the chicken in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
Baste, then turn the oven temperature down to 375°F/190°C/Gas Mark 5 and roast for a further 30-45 minutes with further occasional basting.
The bird should be golden brown all over with a crisp skin and have buttery, lemony juices of a nut-brown colour in the bottom of the tin.
Turn off the oven, leaving the door ajar, and leave the chicken to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.
Carve the bird to suit yourself.
You can scoop the garlic and herbs out of the chicken cavity, stir them into the gravy and heat through; strain before serving.
Pour some white wine or a little chicken stock, or both, or even just water around the bottom of the tin at the beginning of cooking.