Preheat the oven to 180 C degrees.
Cut the carrots lengthwise, then cover the base of a large casserole dish with them.
Cut the apple and onion into four wedges and put one of each into the chicken’s cavity. Also, add one half of the garlic bulb, the cinnamon stick and 2 sprigs of thyme.
Mix the butter or dairy-free spread with the remaining thyme leaves. Set a tablespoonful aside in a small bowl, then rub the chicken with the rest, under and all over the skin, using your fingers.
Put the chicken on top of the carrots and put the onion and apple wedges around it. Add the bay leaf.
Season with salt & pepper, then pour over the cider.
Put the lid on and put the dish into the oven. Cook for an hour and a half, then take it out of the oven and carefully remove the lid.
Mix the maple syrup with the remaining thyme-butter and brush this over the skin of the chicken.
Put the chicken back into the oven, without the lid, and cook for 15 minutes or so until the skin is crispy and golden.
Do a test under the highs with a skewer - if clean jus is coming out, the chicken is cooked through.
Place the chicken onto a serving plate and put the carrots and apples around it. Pour the cooking jus into a jar.
After a few minutes of resting, carve the chicken and serve with side dishes, drizzled with the jus.