News From The Farm - Farmison & Co (2024)

The 5 key points on how to cook and serve a ChristmasGoose

The Christmas goose can be the centre piece to any dinner tablethis festive season. Which is why many want to know how to cook theChristmas meat to perfection to wow all your guests. Our top 5things to consider are:

1. If defrosting a free range goose for Christmas, do this in thefridge, not near a radiator or in contact with direct heat. Thismay take up to 3 days for a large goose so plan ahead.
2. The gibletsand lobes of fat must be removed before roasting your goose.
3. Plan your oven space well; the bird can be resting up to 1 hourwhilst you apply finishing touches to the Christmas feast such asthe vegetables and gravy.
4. Baste the goose frequently whilst roasting; basting will keepthe breast meat moist and flavourful to wow guests at thetable.
5. Choose the right accompaniments to enhance the natural beautyof the goose. Fruity-based condiments work really well, paired withfestive devils onhorseback, a PX sherry andchestnut sauce, or a simple Granny Smiths apple relish for theperfect Christmas goose.

Preparing your Christmas Goose

Preparation is the key to success. Especially when you considercooking a Christmas goose. (If you haven't chosen which meat tohave for Christmas yet, look to our guide.) To get you started youwill need to ensure you have a large roasting tin at the ready.Goose is a wonderful meat to enjoy and keeping the followingelements in mind, you can't go wrong on the big day:

• To start, remove the two large lobes of fat just at the openingof the chamber if that has not already been done. Simply removewith your hands and reserve - this fat adds great flavour whenroasting to a variety of meats or it can be rendered down forfrying or roasting.
• To render, slowly melt then simmer the fat over a low heat;then cool, strain and keep in the fridge for up to 3 monthsfollowing Christmas.
• Remember to remove the giblets from the cavity; often there ina plastic bag, this must be removed before roasting.
• The giblets make great stock for Christmas gravy, or they canbe poached in the goose fat until tender and rich to create confitbefore frying over high heat. These are a favourite on thecontinent served on toast with chopped parsley and garlic.
• Your goose has a deep layer of fat under the skin which willneed to be released when roasting. To achieve this, simply piercethe skin all over using a toothpick concentrating around the areabetween the breast and legs.
• To achieve crisp fat, I recommend starting the day beforeroasting. Scald the bird over a sink on a wire rack with 2 or 3kettles of boiling water slowly poured over the bird, pat dry, thenleave uncovered in the fridge overnight.
• Roast the goose on a trivet of vegetables or a wire rack in theroasting tin so the goose doesn't boil in its own fat. The trivetmakes a base for superb gravy to serve alongside your Christmasdinner.

How to Cook Christmas Goose

One of the most important elements to get right with a Christmasgoose is cooking it properly. We have an 8 step guide to help youmaster the craft:

1. On the day of roasting, massage with fine sea salt and a littleoil and bring to room temperature.
2. Preheat your oven to 160°C for fan assisted or 180°C for ovenswithout a fan (gas 4).
3. Place the goose breast side up on a trivet of chopped onion,carrot and apples in a large, heavy-based roasting tray, with deepsides and handles for easy movement.
4. Place the tray in the centre of the oven and roast for 20minutes per 500g basting the goose with its own fat as itroasts.
5. To finish, increase the oven to 210°C for fan assisted or 230°Cfor ovens without a fan (gas 8) and roast for an additional 15minutes or until the skin is golden brown and crisp.
6. The core temperature should read a minimum 65°C beforeresting.
7. Remove from the oven, drain away excess fat reserving foranother use, and place the goose onto a clean tray and keep warm bycovering with a sheet of foil.
8. Rest for a minimum of 30 minutes before carving for one specialChristmas feast.

Approximate times for your Whole Christmas Goose

We have done the hard work for you and you can find the cookingtimes for a whole Christmas goose below:

A top tip to ensuring your Christmas goose cooks evenly, isworking out the cooking time based on the weight of the bird. Doingthis will help to provide a succulent piece of meat which everyonecan enjoy.

Farmison & Co Christmas Goose

Christmas goose is magnificent, richly satisfying and ideal fora traditional Christmas dinner. Our free range goose meat has adarker colour and a much richer flavour than that of other poultry. Our free-rangegeese plump up naturally on a hearty diet in the great outdoorsready for Christmas delivery. Each is handpicked to ensure amplebreastmeat, before being expertly prepared, leaving the whole birdintact and game hung, with the giblets. Goose is typically more prizedthan turkey, they take a lot more food to fatten, but the reward isdelicious rich meat.

Discover our full Christmas meat range which includes succulentfree-rangebeef, lamband mutton. Whatever meat you cook for the dinner table thisChristmas, enjoy high quality produce with Farmison & Co.