Easy roast duck

A traditional British recipe, this roast duck is so easy to make 

Preparation time: 75 minutes
Cooking time: 90 minutes 


Serves: 4

1 free-range whole duck, around 2 to 2.2kg (41/2 to 5lb) 


1 Pierce the skin of the duck all over with a skewer. Place on a rack in the kitchen sink, and pour over 2 full kettles of boiling water. Pat it dry with kitchen towel and leave it to dry on a plate in the fridge for an hour. You do this to release the subcutaneous fat layer under the skin to give crispy, not fatty, duck.

2 Preheat the oven to 200 C, 180 C fan, 400 F, gas 6. Place the duck on a rack or trivet over a deep roasting tin, as it will release around 300g (10oz) fat into the tin. 


3 Add plenty of sea salt and roast for 90 minutes. Strain off the fat and keep it for the best roast potatoes ever. 


4 Don’t try to carve a duck; joint it. Remove the legs just as you would a chicken. Now take the whole breasts off the bone, which will make the duck go much further. Ease your knife along the breast bone then slice the breast. This will give four good servings of tender meat without any fattiness.

Pork and chorizo stir fry served with herbed rice

Based on a Brain Turner recipe.

For the herbed rice

* 150g/5½oz basmati rice
* ½ vegetable stock cube (I used fresh Chicken stock to cook the rice in)
* 25g/1oz butter
* 1 tbsp chopped fresh chervil
* 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
* 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage

For the stir fry

* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 100g/3½oz pork fillet, cut into strips
* 1 medium chorizo sausage, chopped
* ½ red pepper, seeds removed, flesh chopped
* handful green beans, trimmed and cut in half
* 2 tbsp ready-made tomato ketchup
* 1 tbsp sesame oil
* 2 tbsp soy sauce
* 1 tbsp clear honey
* 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
* 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted, to serve

1] For the herbed rice, cook the rice according to packet instructions, dissolving the stock cube in the water the rice is cooked in. Drain well.
2] Heat the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. When the butter is foaming, add the rice and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, or until golden-brown, then stir in the fresh herbs.
3] For the stir fry, heat the oil in a wok over a high heat, add the onion and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, or until softened.
4] Add the pork, chorizo, pepper and beans and stir fry for a further 3-4 minutes, or until the meat is golden-brown and cooked through.
5] Add the ketchup, sesame oil, soy sauce, honey and vinegar, stir well and bring the mixture to a simmer.
6] To serve, spoon the herbed rice into the centre of a serving plate and spoon the pork and chorizo stir fry on top. Sprinkle over the toasted sesame seeds.