From the Witches Kitchen
Amazing Yule Goose Recipe With Spices For A Magical Feast
Roast a festive Yule goose with citrus, honey, thyme and warming winter spices for a comforting Winter Solstice feast.
Prep Time
35 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 20 minutes–3 hours 30 minutes
Serves
6–8 servings
Ingredients
For the goose
- 1 large goose, roughly 4.5–5.5kg
- 4 lemons
- 3 oranges
- Olive oil, if needed
- 3 tbsp clear honey
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- Small handful fresh parsley
- Rosemary sprigs
- Bay leaves
- Sea salt and black pepper
Yule spice blend
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp allspice
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
Kitchen Witch Notes
Yule cooking is hearth magic at its most practical: warmth, abundance and people gathering close during the dark. Cinnamon is often linked with warmth, rosemary with protection, citrus with solar joy and thyme with resilience.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with goose-fat roast potatoes, honey-roasted carrots and parsnips, braised red cabbage, sprouts and gravy. A few pomegranate seeds on the platter make a lovely Winter Solstice finish.
Introduction
A proper Yule feast is about warmth, candlelight and feeding the people you love until everyone is a bit sleepy by the fire. This goose is rich with citrus, thyme, honey and winter spices, but it is less intimidating than it first looks.
Take your time, use a meat thermometer and keep that rendered goose fat for the roast potatoes. That last bit is frankly non-negotiable.
Method
- Remove the goose from the fridge in good time to take the chill off. Check the cavity, remove any giblets and excess fat, and loosen any trussing string so the legs and wings are not pressed tight to the body. Keep the fat for roasting potatoes.
- Score the skin lightly in a criss-cross pattern without cutting into the meat. Zest the lemons and oranges, then mix the zest with the Yule spice blend, salt and pepper. Rub it over the skin and inside the cavity.
- Put the zested citrus, rosemary, parsley and bay leaves inside the goose. Leave for 15 minutes, or cover and refrigerate overnight if preparing ahead.
- Heat the oven to 240°C, 220°C fan or Gas Mark 9. Put the goose in a roasting tray, drizzle with honey and scatter with thyme. Roast for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven to 190°C, 170°C fan or Gas Mark 5.
- Continue roasting according to the weight and the supplier’s cooking guidance, basting every 30 minutes and carefully pouring off excess fat as it renders. Check that the thickest part of the bird reaches 75°C on a meat thermometer before serving.
- Rest loosely covered with foil for 30 minutes before carving.
Swaps & Variations
Use a smaller goose if you are feeding fewer people, adjusting the cooking time to its weight and pack instructions. For a different flavour, swap some of the citrus for clementines and add a little star anise to the roasting tray.
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