Geese on Welsh farm

Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat...

During December 2009 everything about Christmas could be watched on T V particularly food preparations. One such program reminded me of the World War 2 Christmas I spent in Wales on a small farm belonging to a brother & sister, John & Elizabeth Ellis.

Throughout the year they would raise a flock of geese, usually about 10 t0 15 from the hatchings of a pair that were kept from year to year to provide goslings to fatten for Christmas.

Goose meat is more moist and darker than turkey meat and certainly more tasty. They do have quite a good covering of fat but turn wonderfully crispy and brown when roasted. Much fat is run off into the pan some of which is used to make delicious gravy with the juices from the meat. The rest of the fat is stored in earthernware jars and used to waterproof John's boots and keep the leather supple. Wales has quite a high rainfall.

The down from the geese was put into pillow cases and sterilized in an oven, probably the brick oven where all the bread and baked apples from the orchard were cooked and no doubt the goose on Christmas Day. This wonderful pure white down was made into pillows or a 'carthen' a Welsh name for an overblanket.Much like duvets and sleeping bags of today if you are lucky enough to own a down one. They are light and comfortable to sleep under but a little hot for our South African summer climate.

Other than geese, ham was another home grown and preserved product from the farmyard. A young pig was slaughtered and divided into portions,salted, laid on flagstones (slate) in the pantry turned frequently and eventually hung in the 'shanty' where the brick oven was to continue curing. When needed a portion was cooked and usually eaten cold.

Although it was war time and rationing quite severe I was lucky to be able to indulge in these everyday feasts that included home grown vegetables, freshly baked bread and butter together with fresh milk, cream, new laid eggs from free range hens. Today this this would be called luxry food. I was fortunate but perhaps spoilt and now fussy about food today. I remember the tastes of those war time Christmases!