Christmas cooks are plumping for goose

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/dec/22/christmas-cooks-goose

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It was the traditional centrepiece of the Victorian and Edwardian Christmas dinner table – extravagantly garnished with fragrant bay leaves and fresh orange – but which fell out of favour in the 1960s as Britons opted for "healthier" and more versatile turkey.

Now home-reared goose is enjoying a patriotic revival as the festive meat of choice for many in the UK, with supermarkets and suppliers reporting a rise in year-on-year sales which the industry is hoping may be sustained as part of a long-term trend.

Morrisons says orders of fresh geese are up 50% on the same time last year, while sales at Waitrose have increased by 30% and M&S reports 16% more orders of its speciality free-range birds.

And at Selfridges' food store in London, year-on-year sales of Goodman's geese are up by 45%, this year knocking turkey off the No 1 spot in pre-orders.

Andrew Cavanna, Selfridges' fresh food buyer, said: "Cooking goose for Christmas is a combination of perceived luxury and the nostalgia of eating a dish that was a Christmas staple more than 100 years ago. Turkey is native to North America, and not traditionally British, whereas goose is."

Frances Westerman, Waitrose's poultry buyer, agreed that a revival of traditional foods was helping to drive sales. She said: "While turkey is still the nation's favourite at Christmas, alternative centrepieces are becoming popular, with sales of goose up 30% year on year. Historically, goose was always served for Christmas lunch and it seems that shoppers are looking back at old traditions and reviving them for the modern dinner table."

The number of turkeys reared still dwarfs that of geese, official figures show. According to the British Poultry Council (BPC) only 250,000 geese are reared for consumption every year in the UK – compared with about 10m turkeys reared for Christmas, which is about two-thirds of annual production.

Goose is even more of a seasonal dish, with the vast majority on sale for Christmas. They are reared in small flocks, so supplies tend to be limited and are ordered directly from farmers, specialist butchers and – increasingly – supermarkets. In the late 70s, only about 100,000 geese were reared each year. Today, that increases slightly but steadily every year – by about 0.5%.

In a related trend, goose fat – popularised by cooks such as Delia Smith as the best partner for roasting potatoes because of its high smoking point – now enjoys healthy sales throughout the year and not just at Christmas.

A BPC spokeswoman said: "Goose producers have a loyal following which has been growing slowly but steadily over the years. We have received a growing number of enquiries from farmers interested in producing geese."

Andrew Smith, Morrisons' head of meat trading, said: "Our customers are willing to experiment with something a bit different. Of course the traditional turkey is still king but our 50% increase in customer orders of goose compared to last year shows people are willing to branch out and go for something new."

Mark Atherton-Ranson, M&S poultry expert, said: "Although our British turkeys continue to be popular, we've seen demand for our free-range goose as an alternative Christmas roast."

At Selfridges, shoppers are being more adventurous with their choice of Christmas meat. The department store is reporting strong sales of cockerel on its Mackens butcher counter, which supplies Heston Blumenthal. In 2007 it sold just 200 Packington free-range cockerels but this year has shifted more than 3,000. Cavanna of Selfridges said: "This bird is a first choice for people who want a delicious and cheaper alternative to turkey. It has a larger meat-to-bone ratio and has been allowed to grow to full size, creating a delicious, moist bird when cooked. The meat is much denser and fuller in flavour than some other poultry."

Morrisons and M&S also reported growing demand from their customers for duck – with sales of the fresh bird meat at Marks & Spencer up 10% on last year.

And for diners who really can't make up their mind what to buy, duck is a key ingredient in M&S's multi-layered British 4 Bird Roast which also contains turkey, chicken and, er, goose.