Does anybody still cook goose at Christmas these days?

[Sandra Piddock]

My husband will be 80 next month, and as a child, he remembers that his family always had goose at Christmas. Believe it or not, chicken and turkey was out of the reach of most working class families. Over the years we've been together, we've served goose a few times at Christmas. We usually go to a farm local to our UK base in Devon and buy a fresh one. The taste is out of this world, but it is expensive, so it's an occasional treat.

Have you ever had goose for Christmas? What do you serve it with? I make an apple and prune stuffing to stuff the cavity, forcemeat for the neck, which we serve with the meat, and a prune and brandy sauce to accompany it. I could just eat one now, but we can't get them here in Spain!

 

[Delftse Post]

We had goose this year with red cabbage, roast spuds and parsnips and bread sauce.

Stuffing was a la Michel Roux: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/roast_goose_with_festive_69150

Tastes great, but it was fiendishly expensive and you don't seem to get as much meat as you would with an equivalent sized turkey or chook.

 

[MyDigitalpoint]

Living overseas now, I just remember goose at the Christmas table while I was studying in London and was hosted by a very conservative family who used to serve it.

Back here, we only had goose for a Christmas days after my father brought one. He was a hunting fan and December was duck season and who knows where he went on such month that he was able to hunt a goose that substituted the traditional turkey at our Christmas table.

Past December the local supermarket was selling goose but at a prohibitive price, twice the amount they were asking for a large turkey.

 

[thomas pendrake]

I admit that I dream about it but can't afford it these days. My mother preferred goose for Christmas, but it has been about 10 years since I have had goose. And as far as turkey is concerned I prefer wild turkey or standard bronze turkeys, free range under oak trees. I consider the white turkey to be first cousin to cardboard. And I prefer to smoke it with oak. The local discount combination department and grocery store was more like 3 times as much for a goose as for a turkey twice as big.

 

[crimsonghost747]

So before the goose was cheaper and now it's much more expensive? It's funny how things change with times.

A lot of the foie gras that the frenchies love to eat during Christmas is actually goose, not duck. They do make it out of both but the majority seems to be goose these days.

 

[Hacienda71]

There is an epidemic of Canadian Geese in the UK at present, however I understand it is not a good eating goose, so there goes that bright idea.

 

[thomas pendrake]

There is an epidemic of Canadian Geese in the UK at present, however I understand it is not a good eating goose, so there goes that bright idea.

I suppose you mean wild Canadian goose? I would think they would be tastier, but probably not as fat and, being wild, tougher but much tastier, or at least gamier. Perhaps prepare with an orange or cranberry sauce and wild rice stuffing.

 

[megshoe]

I never had goose at Christmas in the states, but it's still quite popular here in Germany. We opted for duck this past year, but goose is a very normal and traditional German Christmas dish!

 

[firelily99]

I've never had the chance to taste goose, at Christmas or otherwise. I would like to, I've made duck and enjoyed it so I would imagine that goose would be something that I would enjoy.