The word on the bird from the man behind The Fordwich Arms – and why turkey’s goose is cooked this Christmas.

A winning main course will make or break your Christmas dinner. Regardless of how crispy your roast potatoes are, or how carefully you’ve chosen your wines, a too-dry turkey can easily take your big-day meal from fantastic to forgettable. To make sure the main event tastes spot-on, we turned to Mr Dan Smith, chef-patron of Michelin-starred fine-dining pub The Fordwich Arms in Kent. He’s created a step-by-step guide to the ultimate Christmas roast as part of our festive cooking series.

After cutting his teeth at top London restaurants, Mr Smith settled at The Clove Club, in Shoreditch, where his creativity helped win the restaurant a Michelin star. He opened The Fordwich Arms – a sprawling pub near Canterbury serving imaginative, ingredient-led dishes – earlier this year. “Our style of cooking is centred around seasonal produce,” says Mr Smith, whose winter menu might include a tartare of Orkney scallop with brown butter and apple, or Chart Farm fallow venison with celeriac, damson and smoked bone marrow. “We have a really close relationship with our suppliers, and speak to them each month to find out what’s in season, using this as the starting point for the menu. Elements of this style of cooking come from my time at The Clove Club.”

For his main course this Christmas, Mr Smith advises against turkey: he suggests a whole roast duck instead. The dish could also be made with goose, and Mr Smith insists either will go down better than turkey with your guests. “I’d never choose to cook turkey – in the restaurant or at home,” he says. “Duck and goose have so much more flavour and depth.” Mr Smith’s duck is marinated in a sticky soy and honey glaze, and served with roasted parsnips, red chicory and pickled pears. “Not only is a whole duck a bit more unusual, and therefore more special for Christmas, but it looks amazing, so your meal will feel extra-special,” he says.

When it comes to buying your bird, says Mr Smith, “you should always source your duck from a local butcher rather than the supermarket. The quality will be better, and it’s great to support local businesses.” Once you get it home, he continues, “store the duck in the fridge, uncovered, and away from any moisture to help dry the skin out.”

Come the big day, roast your duck low and slow, then crank the heat up towards the end of the cooking time to ensure the skin becomes crispy, caramel-golden and the meat stays perfectly tender. “This technique helps to render the fat more slowly and keeps the moisture in,” explains Mr Smith. Baby parsnips are roasted with heather honey, thyme and caraway seeds, while quick-pickled pear and lightly dressed red chicory leaves add acidity, crunch and sweetness. “Not only are the ingredients for the accompaniments in season,” says Mr Smith, “but they’re a bit more unusual.” Heather honey is used in both the glaze for the duck as well as to coat the parsnips. “It has slightly floral notes compared to regular honey,” says Mr Smith, “so it adds another dimension to the dish”. When it’s cooked, it’s crucial to rest the duck for at least 30 minutes to allow the meat to relax. To carve, Mr Smith suggests, “take off each breast first, then pop the legs off and carve these separately – it’s much easier”.

Find out more about The Fordwich Arms here

**Serves 4-6 **_ This recipe also works with goose – just ensure the bird is the same weight_

4-4.5kg duck, trussed and ready to roast Sea salt 5 sprigs of thyme 2 sprigs of rosemary 3 cloves of garlic 1 orange, halved 1 large onion, cut into quarters 1 carrot 75g heather honey 30ml soy sauce 25ml red wine vinegar 1 tsp five spice powder

For the parsnips: 500g baby parsnips, peeled, tops removed 1 tbsp rapeseed oil 3 sprigs thyme 50g heather honey 1 tbsp caraway seeds Sea salt

For the pears: 2 unripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced (using unripe pears gives a crunchier texture) 50ml vinegar 50ml water 25g sugar

For the chicory: 2 red chicory Rapeseed oil Red wine vinegar Sea salt

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Prick the skin of the duck with a knife all over – this will help to render the fat. Stuff the duck with the herbs, garlic, carrot and orange. Rub salt all over the skin of the duck.

Roast in a baking tray for 1 hour 40 minutes – this will retain the moisture. Meanwhile, mix the honey, soy, red wine vinegar and five spice powder together. Remove the bird from the oven and pat with kitchen towel to remove any excess fat, then rub with the glaze mixture. Turn the oven up to 200°C and roast for 10-15 minutes, until the bird is nicely glazed.

For the parsnips, place all the ingredients in a baking tray and roast alongside the duck or goose at 200°C for 15 minutes, until golden and tender.

For the pears, boil the sugar, vinegar and water in a saucepan then pour over the sliced pears. Leave to sit for 10 minutes. Cut the base from the chicory and separate the leaves. Lightly dress in the oil and vinegar, then season with sea salt.

Leave the duck to rest for 30 minutes, then remove the breast and legs from the carcass. Carve the breasts into slices and serve with the legs and the accompaniments.

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