If you want to serve a different and tasty roast meal during the festive period and are only catering for a few guests — think duck. Roast duck makes a great Christmas meal and one that is not served often enough, probably because it is much more expensive than chicken. It’s something we often order from a restaurant menu, yet seldom think of cooking ourselves.

I was reminded of the joy a duck dinner can bring when invited to speak at the Countryside Alliance’s annual Duck Dinner at Fosse Manor Hotel, Stow-on-the-Wold, organised by Randolph Willoughby.

When discussing the event, he explained that there were three kinds of duck: some had lots of skin, some loads of bones and some had loads of meat. He said that the duck served at the dinner came with lots of meat and he was right. Each guest was served half a duck, which was delicious and as crispy as the roast potatoes of which he also spoke so highly.

The distinct flavour of a duck means that it can be served with a variety of fruit sauces, or honey and spicy ingredients that give it an oriental flavour. I have even added a few cranberries to a duck sauce and sloshed a great deal of red wine into the gravy sauce, to great effect.

Like other game birds, ducks are more active than chicken and therefore need more oxygen, which is what gives the breast flesh a far deeper colour and richer and stronger flavour.

But they do not have a gamey flavour; think of them as being mid-way between chicken and pheasant.

Whole roast duck is not for carving and it rarely comes with enough meat to create a dinner for four. It has to be cut into joints, half a duck being a sensible portion, even though the flesh is rich. So if you are cooking for a large party, either buy pre-cut duck breasts and pan fry them or choose something else.

For those attempting to maintain a fat-free diet it is also worth remembering that duck meat has a higher fat content, more calories and more saturated fat than chicken or turkey. This is because ducks have a layer of fat lying just beneath the skin which keeps them afloat when they are in the water.

That said, if you are serving duck as a festive treat, I believe that the fat content can be overlooked for just one meal. Besides, if you prick the skin all over with a skewer before roasting your duck, the fat will weep from the bird as it cooks.

Removing the layer of fat under the skin is probably the most important thing that the cook has to concentrate on; the rest is really easy, far easier than cooking a turkey which needs to be well cooked, but moist when carved.

Another way of removing that layer of fat from a duck is to place it on a rack in the kitchen sink and pour two full kettles of boiling water over it, then pat it dry. It should be left to dry in the fridge for at least an hour before cooking.

As an average duck will release at least 10oz (300g) fat into the roasting tin, a deep tin is advised to avoid any risk of spillage.

By frequently pouring the excess fat from the tin as it cooks and placing the duck on a rack to raise it from the base, you will prevent the bottom from being fried as it roasts.

Delia Smith’s advice is to make a duck-sized little pillow out of tinfoil and place the duck on this, which also works very well.

A duck is cooked to perfection when the meat thermometer reads 165F/75C when pierced into the thickest part of the bird and the skin is brown and crispy. The advice from top chefs about the cooking time varies a great deal. Some go for placing it in a hot oven, having filled the cavity with two halves of an orange, and cooking it at a reasonably high heat (450F/230C or gas mark 7) for no more than an hour, while others go for a three-hour cooking at a lower heat (350F/180C or gas mark 4.) Personally, I go for the middle way, cooking it for about two-and-a-half hours at 350F, having rubbed the dry skin with Maldon sea salt to encourage extra crispiness. Leaving it uncovered in a fridge overnight to dry out completely also helps crisp it up.

For the sauce you can go for oranges, or port/red wine and cherries, but when serving don’t spoon the sauce on to the skin or it will soften it. That delicious crispiness is what makes roast duck so special.

Well, whatever you cook during the festive period, remember cooking it with love adds the most important ingredient of all.

Happy Christmas to you all.