How To Cook Your Whole Free Range Roast Duck

Roast:

1. Remove your duck from the packaging, prick the skin all over with a fork then scald the skin by pouring a kettle full of boiling water over the bird resting on a wire rack over the sink, then leave to air dry for an hour before seasoning with good quality sea salt.
2. Preheat your oven to 210°C for fan assisted or 230°C for ovens without a fan (gas 8).
3. Choose a large, heavy-based roasting tray, ideally with deep sides and handles for easy movement.
4. Place in the centre of the oven and roast for 25 minutes, then reduce the heat to 160°C for fan assisted or 180°C for ovens without a fan (gas 4) & roast 20 minutes per 500g basting with its own fat 2-3 times whilst roasting reaching a core temperature of 65°C before resting.
5. Remove from the oven, put onto a clean tray and keep warm by covering with a sheet of foil. Rest for a minimum of 20 minutes before carving.

To serve:

Roast pototoes & braised red cabbage.