Alternative to turkey... Goose?

[DeckSwabber]

Help - the family have all vetoed turkey. Children have suggested duck but I'm cooking for 9 or 11.

Anyone tried goose, or any other suggestions? I would like it to be traditional(ish).

Lamb is at its best in december so we always go for lamb, we all used to get to choose but we all choose lamb

Could you fit two pieces of meat in the oven?

Goose will rarely feed 9 and 11 may well be a tad tight all round. Though you certainly wouldn't have the problem of left over meat for the next week

A nice big ham. We had a huge goose one year for 6 adults and there was nothing left for Boxing Day. Lots of lovely goose fat that lasted for nearly a year after, but not a lot of meat. I'd go for a ham.

We had Goose last year and it was gorgeous, we also had a smoked ham, so the meat went further and there was enough goose to make a greek soup i normally make with chicken. There were 5 of us , but I dont think it would have done 9 or 11.

Goose is absolutely delicious, You would need another roast as well as its not that big, the ham suggestion is a good one.

We are having a 3 bird roast , looking forward to it

I usually serve goose, but there isn't much meat on it. I make lots of pigs in blankets and stuffing balls made with pork mince, to make it go further.

It is nice not to have left over meat the next day, just the carcass to boil up for soup.

Thanks for the suggestions - will ponder. I had thought a goose would feed more people so thanks for the tips.

Despite its size goose doesn't go far because it has such a huge body cavity. We do duck breasts and a ham which does for Boxing Day, sarnies and soup.

Goose is rich so you don't need to serve so much

CAn I just second/third/fourth GOOSE!

Flipping lovely-can't wait for mine!

I second again, don't do goose. I had to buy a new roasting pan to fit the goose we had and it only just fit in our regular sized oven. Again, it was only enough for 6 adults, it certainly wouldn't go far enough for 9-11 people without some backup meat and lots of sides.

Those of you saying goose is yummy, do you get yours from the butcher or supermarket, fresh or frozen.

I had decidded on goose as DH has also vetoed turkey, so went innocently off to the butcher to order one. He recommended a 5kg goose (for 3 adults and 2 small DC) ands said it would be about £65-70. I can't bring myself to pay that much money for one meall that I will probably overcook anyway!

So I had been thinking ham, but now you've said goose is so lovely I'm tempted back towards it, but wondering if I can get it cheaper.

Sorry for typos and lack of question mark! Should have previewed

Whole leg of lamb. Slow roast 4-5 hours. Cooks itself no basting.

£70 for a goose? blimmin' heck thats a lot of money for one meal. Maybe I'll stick to frozen turkey myself this year (had been wondering about goose also). saying that, I'm sure Aldi had them advertised for £20 not long ago

We got ours frozen, for around £35 in Sainsburys, Sconch. We've had frozen ones before and they've been perfectly fine.

In answer to the OP, though, a goose will not feed 11 people. Have you considered the three or four bird roasts from Aldi? They will feed more people because they are boned out before stuffing, plus they are much easier to slice, and I reckon you could fit two together in the oven. They would have some turkey in, but I don't think the family could object. We had a sainsbury's frozen three-bird-roast last christmas, to supplement the goose, as we had family visiting, and it was very tasty and easy to cook.