Goose

I've never stuffed a goose. I put as many whole apples and onions into the cavity as it will hold, and cook my stuffing separately.

Granless A similar incident put me off goose when dad and I went to a farm and one chased me. I was about 8 and petrified and that year I didn't have meat on my plate. There was no raffle involved just that dad knew the farmer.

We couldn't eat the hens we kept ! I could quite easily have been vegetarian at that stage.

I don't stuff our goose as stuffing from inside a goose becomes far too greasy and doesn't taste good at all. I do a, "normal" sage and onion with sausage meat stuffing but in a separate dish and just pop a couple of cut up oranges together with some leeks and herbs (sage, parsley and thyme) in the cavity whilst it cooks. I serve it with a port and orange gravy.
We invariably have goose (except the one year when it was only me and DD2 and we had an Aylesbury duck which I can also recommend) I've always found that there's enough left over for a second meal (4 or 5 adults normally) together with a few bits for sandwiches and it does taste good cold.
Nobody in our family likes turkey very much. It's ok for the meal itself but nobody likes it much cold (breast far too dry, no matter how much basting takes place, to eat cold) and it goes on for ever! Plus everyone usually has at least one or more Christmas, "do" to attend where they're going to have turkey!

I have seen frozen goose crowns in Lidl, some quite small and ideal for two people. I don't think you get the traditional captions any more as they had a hormonal pellet put in their necks and Brussels has probably decreed that it's bad for you!

Lucky you! We never stuff our geese. We make a suitable stuffing and cook it separately in a pyrex or stainless steel dish. Something herby and citrusy.

We also cook it long and slow so it is tender, and keep the huge amounts of fat produced for roast potatoes. Goose produces huge amounts of fat, so be prepared to use a basting syringe to take it out of the roasting pan at regular intervals or it will overflow into the oven.
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yuk... dead animal for christmas dinner. i stick with my quorn or vegi sausages. luckily i'm going to my daughter for christmas day and she knows i wont be eating any meat/nor does she except maybe chicken for my brother..so i fill up on potatoes .and veg and stove top stuffing..christmas actually makes me feel quite sick. !! i got christmas meal for salvation army charity shop next friday ,so i take a tupperware box and put the meat in it for my cat..xxxx

We had goose two years running with a potato stuffing, I think very like this one (below). Goose itself was lovely first time, tough the second, but stuffing excellent in both cases. www.womanandhome.com/recipes/christmas-lunch-simon-hopkinson-s-goose-recipe/
We’re having a stuffed cockerel ‘cushion’ from Booths this year.

I normally make up a stuffing with plums and also a plum sauce!

Nothing to do with the main thrust of the thread but I suppose by the time the geese had made the walk from Norfolk to London they would have been fairly well muscled. To withstand the rigours of the walk the birds were sometimes "shod" by walking them over warm tar and then penning them on fine gravel. Enjoy!

I was told by a farming friend that the traditional country time to eat goose is Michaelmas, ie the end of September. Apparently any weight gain after that is fat. Also after that was when the old gooseherds started the long walk with their birds to the city markets!

Capons - I know something about those as one of our poultry farmer neighbours in France told us.
They are sterilised cockerels, usually by chemical methods, but could be physical. The treatment causes them to be fat and lazy and increase the meat/bone ratio.

I was going to warn about the amount of fat too-although I had enough fat for roasties all the next year!
Really surprised how little actual meat on it though so be aware when you order it.

Oh yes, definitely remember capons, we had one every Easter. Was only talking about them yesterday and they are widely available, but Waitrose are taking orders for them. Delicious tasting birds

If you love it so much grandtanteJE65 could you not enjoy it & then strip it from the bones to eat another day? Does it freeze well - I have no idea? Or just on a plate with bits & bobs - is it even nice cold - I wouldn’t know.

We have always used cooking apples, peeled, cored and quartered and prunes, soaked overnight beforehand, unless they are very soft and sage and onion stuffing.

Enjoy your goose, I love goose, but as we are only DH and me for Christmas dinner, we won't be having goose, as it is two big for only two people.

Ooh that sounds yummy oldgaijin!
In 45 years of wedded bliss I’ve only done goose once. Didn’t stretch very far (luckily only 5 of us that particular Christmas) & I agree it was very fatty. A bit too much faffing about. So turkey since then for us.
Anyone remember capons? Are they still available?

My friend, one Christmas, won a goose in a raffle. She was asked to collect it on a particular date. Off she went to said farm on said date. On arrival was met by the farmer who said she was to go in to the barn and choose the one she wanted. She was mortified - they were all still alive! Needless to say she didn’t want to ‘choose one’ and left very quickly.

Another vote for Delia’s prune & armagnac with prune compote- looking forward to a goose at Christmas as having turkey for mock Christmas with our daughter the week before- can’t face 2 turkeys! Hope you enjoy yours!

Thank you all. Suggestions noted, and it will be something 'sharp' to contrast. We have had goose on several occasions and the current husband is extremely good at roasting them, just fancied a change of flavours coming through.

I have already made a sauce of red wine and dates for it which is in the freezer.

My daughter bought a goose for us last year - lots of fat (made lovely roast potatoes) but not much meat - did one meal for five people. I roasted it on a trivet and basted it frequently. We are having Turkey crown this year - much easier to deal with!

My son cooked us a goose last year - it looked spectacular. However, it produced what seemed like a bucketful of grease. The whole kitchen was swimming in it, and for three days afterwards every utensil and surface in the kitchen was slick with the stuff, no matter how hard I scrubbed. It's back to turkey for us this year. I see that there's a mention of "lots of goose fat for roast potatoes for months to come" above. I think that might work for people who have a large family coming round for roast dinner every week.

aaah, roast goose, stuffed with black pudding, floating on a sea of apple sauce.

Well done Fennel! I hear she is cooking her own goose (maybe in more ways than one).

The best goose recipe I have used is Richard Corrigan’s:

www.rte.ie/lifestyle/recipes/2011/1003/746699-marmalade-goose-with-gravy/

Red cabbage is always good with goose .