Heat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4. Clean the poussins and wipe dry. Rub each bird with lemon juice, and then with sea salt and pepper. Slip the garlic cloves, preserved lemon quarters and basil leaves into the cavity of each bird.
Roast the poussins for 30 minutes, basting occasionally with melted butter and lemon juice, until the thigh juices run clear when pierced with a skewer.
Allow to cool to room temperature, then cut each bird in two using a heavy knife, cutting down one side of the back bone. Serve with extra lemon quarters for squeezing.
(Jill Dupleix in The Times)
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