Serves 4

Confiting the legs ensures they will last for some time before eating.

1. Generously sprinkle the legs with 25g salt, a teaspoon of black pepper, some thyme and 3 cloves of crushed garlic per 2 legs.

2. Mix well, cover and leave in fridge for 2 days. Then scrape off seasonings and set aside.

3. Brown off the legs in a pan and place into a deep ovenproof dish — one that is quite a tight fit. Scatter the scrapings on top and then put in ideally, goose fat to cover legs. If not, lard or olive oil will be fine but it must cover or nearly cover the legs.

4. Place in oven on low heat, Gas Mark ½ or 130°C. You may need to turn the legs a couple of times during cooking. Cook until the meat comes easily away from the bone — approx 3 hours.

5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. If you want to preserve the legs, you need to put them into either a sealed jar or a tightly sealed plastic container.  Pour the fat over the legs, wait till it’s set and then cover. This will keep for a few months in the fridge. Otherwise, wrapped in cling film and with some fat smeared over, it will last a couple of weeks in fridge.

6. When you want to eat them, scrape off the fat and roast off in a hot oven for about 10–15 minutes. To serve, salad leaves or lentils are good.