Serves 6-8

1 x 6kg oven-ready, free-range goose (including giblets and fat, which make up about 1kg)

Salt and pepper

1 medium cooking apple, peeled, cored and chopped

1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 large sprig of rosemary

2 sprigs of thyme

Goose fat (this should come with the bird)

Allow the goose to reach room temperature for a couple of hours before you cook it.

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas Mark 7. Untruss the goose, and prick the skin all over with a fork, being careful not to go through to the flesh. Give it a good prodding on the parson’s nose, around the cavity opening and the fat glands under the wings. Season well, inside and out, and place in a large roasting tin.

Push the chopped apple and onion into the cavity, along with the herbs. Smear lumps of goose fat over the legs. Cut bits of foil that will completely cover the legs and wrap securely. Place the goose in the preheated oven, breast up, and cook for 30 minutes.

Remove, then lift it onto a large serving dish. There will be lots of bubbling hot fat in the roasting tin — carefully pour this into a large heatproof bowl.

Return the goose to the roasting tin, breast side down this time, and put it back in the oven. Reduce the temperature to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and cook for a further 1¼ hours. Take it out of the oven again and pour off the fat. Remove the foil from the legs and sprinkle the breast generously with salt. Return to the oven, breast side up again, and cook for a further 30-45 minutes, until the skin is crisp and the meat cooked. You can lift it onto a rack for this bit if you have one. Pierce the thickest, fleshiest part of the legs with a skewer and press — the juices should run clear with no trace of blood. If in doubt, roast for another 15-20 minutes, covering the breast lightly with foil if it looks like it might burn.

Remove from the oven and leave to rest on a serving dish in a warm place for 20-30 minutes. Pour off the fat from the pan, leaving any brown bits in the bottom to use as the starting point for gravy.

To carve, cut breasts off whole and slice. Remove the legs and roughly carve off the meat. Serve with my quince sauce and gravy. On the veg front, I go for red cabbage and roast potatoes.

QUINCE SAUCE

If quinces prove elusive, use cooking apples instead.

1-2 tbsp lemon juice

2 large quinces

1 generous knob of butter

1 good pinch of cinnamon

1 pinch of ground cloves

½-1 tbsp caster sugar

Salt and pepper

Put 1 tbsp lemon juice in a saucepan. Peel and core the quinces, then roughly chop the flesh, tossing the bits into the pan as soon as they are cut to stop them from discolouring. Add the butter, 100ml water, plus the spices. Bring to a bubble, then cover and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is soft enough to squash with a fork. Mash and stir to a smoothish sauce. Mix in ½ tbsp sugar and some seasoning.

Taste and add more sugar and/or lemon juice if it needs it. The sauce should be quite tart — you want it as a foil to the richness of the goose. Keep warm until ready to eat.

Times Recommends

• Top Ten most searched for recipes
• Chalet Chef 2010: the winning menus
• Gin and pomegranate jellies