Sorry. Goose Vs Turkey?

[belledechocchipcookie]

I have a little extra cash. We had a Norfolk black crown last year which was dry, a three bird roast the year before. I'd love to try a goose but do I stick with the 'safe' option of a turkey? What does a goose taste like? There's only 3 of us to feed so I can be creative with the leftovers. Would I regret it though??

goose over turkey every time for me

so much more succulent and juicy

and the roasties cooked in the fat...

Goose is lovely but there's not much meat on it. We had it 2 years ago and we finished it in one sitting (2 adults, 2 children). So if you want leftovers, choose turkey, but goose is definitely superior in taste.

What does it taste like? We've tried pheasant, guinea fowl, duck etc.

We now always have goose, despite the expense. It tastes a bit more gamey and the meat is much darker so closer to game birds than chicken for example. I would agree though, there really isn't as much meat but then again, far less hanging around in your fridge for days before being thrown away/made into yet another curry!

The goose fat is fantastic and keeps for months in the fridge - if you do have a goose, consider getting some kilner jars to keep the fat in.

Goose is fabulous, I'd pick it over turkey any day. Much, much better flavour.

Definitely save the fat, DH clarified the fat left over from our last one (found instructions on t'internet) put it in jars & it lasted us for special roasties for ages.

As winnybella says there's much less meat on them than with turkey, but with only 3 to feed you'd still have plenty of leftovers (well unless you eat a lot more than we do!)

Ds is worried about the welfare of the geese Are they less likely to live inside a barn then a turkey?

We have 4 adults and 4 kids (aged 8-11) for new year - would a goose be enough?

Goose definitely. I think it's practically impossible to farm geese so don't worry about welfare. They are used as guard 'dogs' on some farms!

They are not massive but so so tasty. Speak to your butcher re size. You might need a small roast ham as well to bulk it out but the meat is just lovely and you get crispy duck style crackling/skin as well which is amazing. My DH was blown away by ours last year.

Goose, much nicer. You'll have lovely tatties from it too.

Lucky thing!

Have a fantastic Christmas :)

Thank you. Good to know that they are not crammed into a titchy shed. I'll hunt for some jars for the fat. I'm assuming you need to boil them before you put it in?

belle I ordered them from Amazon and got them delivered to home, much better than traipsing around the shops! I think I did them much the same as jam jars, hot soapy wash then into a hot oven to dry them out, add the fat and leave. The fiddly bit is getting the rubber seal back over the glass lid (don't put the rubber in the oven) but it's easier when they and the seal are a bit warm.

HTH!

Goose.

Make sure you use a VERY deep roasting tin and be prepared to pour the fat out frequently so it doesn't flood the oven. Not very elegant, but well worth spending 1/2 hour pulling as much fat out of the cavity as you can before you stick it in the oven (and it will come out by the fistful...)

A couple of places I've seen have suggested a 4 to 5 kg goose would serve 4 to 6 (to give an idea of size). You don't tend to see them advertised as bigger than 6kg or so. If you do decide to go with goose you probably need to get it organised pretty quick, though - I think our butchers closed their "goose" order book last week, and a few of the online suppliers are sold out (not all of them - but if its coming far you might start running into delivery issues).

And don't completely trust the instructions that come with it (or treat conservatively) - DH did that last year and was gutted when it came out overdone. Still tasted lovely but it had got a bit drier than it should have done. (But we're still roasting spuds in the fat that came off it )

Hope it comes out well :)