Goose

In days gone by, goose played a far more prominent role in the British diet, being the bird of choice for important meals from Michaelmas (September 29th) up until Christmas, where is was often served on Christmas day. By the last quarter of the year, geese would traditionally have been fattened on the post-harvest stubble and would make a good meal for a family. still make a far more flavoursome meal than the turkey that has more recently taken its place.

Somewhat fattier than Turkey (goose fat makes some of the best roast potatoes!) and a bit fiddly to carve, goose is these days only really reared by specialist farms and producers as it does not lend itself to the high-volume production methods that other poultry and game producers sometimes use - the result is a bird that should be well flavoured and more naturally reared, giving a far higher likelihood of providing a rich and well-flavoured meal.

Tips

Try roasting potatoes in goose fat for the best roasties!
Serve roast goose on Christmas day instead of Turkey - try stuffing with cooking apples and thyme.
If you have room in your oven, 2 roasting tins will help, as goose ideally needs to be turned after an hour and basted - the spare tin will be ready for your roast potatoes and parsnips!
Allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving.