The Perfect Roast This Easter

This Easter, follow our foolproof tips to ensure that your roast is cooked to perfection with our easy guide!

1. Watch our helpful 'How to' videos on our website for simple tutorials on how to roast your duck. Click Here

2. Have the right equipment.

a) Invest in a wire roasting rack, which lifts your duck off of the base of the roasting tray, helping to crisp up the skin. For an alternative, roll up two pieces of tin foil into sausages, propping them under each end of the bird for a similar effect.

b) Use a meat thermometer. You can buy these online and from most supermarkets, or enter our latest competition where we are giving away 1 out of 100 Gressingham cooking thermometers to lucky applicants.Click Here.This will ensure that your poultry is cooked to the right temperature. Make sure that you stick the thermometer into the thickest part of the duck thigh to get the most accurate reading.

3. Save the fat.

a) Duck and goose fat is full of flavour and fantastic to use to make perfect roast potatoes. If you are using a wire rack, it will be easy to collect the run-off in the bottom of the roasting tray. Either use it straight away, or save it for another occasion.

b) For the best results, heat the fat up in the oven on the roasting tray before using it for roasting. Click Here for the recipe.

4) Rest!

a ) Make sure you rest the bird for at least 15 minutes before carving. This ensures that the meat relaxes and that the juices develop, making it much more tender.

b) Cover with a clean kitchen towel and/ or tin foil during this time.

5) Follow our step by step guide on how to carve your bird.

a) To make the most of the meat, follow our carving technique. Click Here

b) Sharpen your carving knife to create clean thin slices without the meat breaking.

5) Leftovers.

a) If you can resist eating the whole bird for the main Easter meal, then we have a wonderful recipe for you to make the most of every mouthful of this delicious meat!

Gressingham Duck Wraps with Cucumber & Carrot Salad(Serves 4 people)

Ingredients:About 450g of cooked leftover Gressingham Duck meat, shredded or sliced½ teaspoon five spice powder1 teaspoon sesame oil8 spring onions, trimmed and cut into 1” (2.5cm) lengths½ large cucumber, peeled4 large carrots, peeled and gratedTablespoon finely chopped coriander8 tortilla wrapsSweet chilli sauce to serve

Method:1. Using a swivel head potato peeler, cut the cucumber into long ribbons, and place them in a serving bowl. Add the grated carrot to another serving bowl and mix through the finely chopped coriander. Place the spring onion pieces on another serving plate.2. Heat the sesame oil in a large wok and add the Gressingham duck with the five spice powder – stir fry the duck in the oil until heated through and crispy.3. Heat the tortilla wraps in the microwave (or in a pre-heated oven) and place them on a large plate.4. To assemble the wraps, spoon some grated carrot salad and cucumber ribbons on the wrap, then add some cooked duck pieces and spring onions before adding sweet chilli sauce to taste. Roll the wraps up tightly and then cut in half to eat like a sandwich.

We hope you have a wonderful Easter! GD