Pre-heat the oven to 190°C / 170°C Fan / Gas Mark 5.

To prepare the goose for cooking, remove the string then spread the legs open to encourage even cooking throughout.

Peel and halve the carrots, onions, fennel and garlic then place into the roasting tray, drizzle with rapeseed oil but do not season.

Place the prepared goose on top of the vegetables. Halve the lemons and juice them. Stuff the goose with the lemon halves, the lemon juice and the parsley.

Mix the honey and mead together; this will be used to baste the bird during cooking.

Cook the goose in a pre-heated oven for 15 minutes at 190°C/ 170°C Fan / Gas Mark 5 then lower the temperature to 170°C / 150°C / Gas Mark 3 and cook for a further 20 minutes for every 1kg of meat. Once you have lowered the temperature, baste the bird every 20 minutes until golden brown.

Once cooked, rest the bird for as long as possible before carving. This will help the juices to be retained in the meat keeping it moist and succulent.

Cook's Notes

To check if the bird is cooked pierce the thickest part with a skewer; if the juices run clear and the skewer is hot then the bird should be ready. You could also probe the bird with a meat thermometer; as long as the core temperature is exceeding 72-74°C then it is safe to eat.

Leave the cooked bird to rest in a warm place. Any residual juices can be used to make gravy providing additional flavour.