Peel and roughly chop the onion. Peel and thickly slice the carrots. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Warm a medium pan on a medium heat for 1 min, then add 1 tsp olive oil, the veg, the bay leaf and a pinch of salt and pepper. Gently fry, stirring now and then, for 5 mins till the veg start to brown and look glossy.

While the veg fry, roughly chop the dried apricots. Grate the zest from the lemon. Finely chop the parsley stalks, setting the leaves to one side. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Fill and boil your kettle.

Stir the apricots, lemon zest and parsley stalks into the pan. Add 1 tbsp ras al hanut, then cook and stir for 1 min till the pan smells fragrant.

Stir in the chickpeas. Squeeze in the juice from half the lemon. Pour in 300ml boiling water. Pop on a lid, bring to the boil and then turn the heat down a little. Let the tagine simmer for 15 mins, stirring now and then, till the sweet potatoes are tender and have started to break down.

While the tagine simmers, tip the couscous into a heatproof bowl. Pour over 150ml boiling water. Cover the bowl with a plate and set it aside for 10 mins – the couscous will soak up the water and become tender.

Taste the tagine and add a squeeze more lemon juice, or a pinch more salt or pepper if you think it needs it. Fluff the couscous up with a fork and divide it between 2 warm plates. Top with the tagine, discarding the bay leaf, and garnish with parsley leaves to serve.