Duck Stock

Cut the duck carcasses into half if necessary, add to an oven proof dish along with the other duck pieces. Use a pastry brush to very lightly paint the pieces with some tomato puree, this is optional but delivers a nicely coloured stock.

Scrape and half the carrots and add to the duck dish. Peel the onion, cut in half and add to the duck dish. Sprinkle over a little olive oil and roast in the oven at 400°F/200°C/Reg6 for an hour turning everything half way through. This should deliver nicely carmelised duck and vegetables.

Meanwhile, roughly chop up the celery and leeks and put in a large saucepan. Trim the top and bottom of the garlic bulb, strip off the outer skin, and add to the saucepan. Tie up some thyme with some string and add to the saucepan.

When the duck carcasses etc. are ready add them to the saucepan along with all the vegetables and juice. Barely cover the contents of the saucepan with water and simmer covered with a lid for an hour and a half. When ready use a slotted spoon to remove the duck, vegetables etc. and strain the liquid through a sieve into another saucepan.

Put the strained stock over over a medium heat and reduce to about half its volume. Take off the heat and allow to totally cool. Put in a freezer for a few hours, then take out and use a spoon to scrape of the surface fat and discard. The stock can then be used or refrozen until needed.