Take some of the stress out of the festive season by ordering your Christmas and New Year poultry from Bells.

Bells rear their own free range geese in the Eden Valley and source free range duckling, turkeys and chickens that meet their exacting standards. Quality is a watchword. This is best exemplified in the approach we take to rearing our own free range geese. Birds are brought to us as day-old and 3-day-old goslings, sourced in the north-west. The birds are free to roam as a flock, grazing in large grass paddocks. Their diet, which is carefully controlled, consists of grass, wheat and a specially prepared feed containing no additives or growth promoters. This balanced diet produces birds with a fine yellow skin. Each bird is supplied with its giblets, neck and liver.

These times are approximate, depending on your oven and how often you open the door to baste. Weight is the total weight, including any stuffing you may have used.

To know when it is ready, insert a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh. The juices should run clear. If you are at all unsure, return the bird to the oven for another 30 minutes. Once your bird is cooked let it rest for about 30 minutes. Cover it loosely with foil and keep it in a warm place until ready to carve.