• Two duck legs
• One shallot
• Two tablespoons of fat – duck is best, though goose fat or beef dripping both work well. In extremis, you can use vegetable or sunflower oil but animal fat is better.
• Salt
• Black pepper

Either

• Two juniper berries, crushed
• One sprig of thyme

Or

• Three slices of ginger, about the thickness of a £1 coin
• A teaspoon of five spice powder

The night before you want to eat, season the duck legs well with the salt and leave to rest in a ziplock bag in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, heat a water bath to 75c, remove the legs from their salt cure and add to a vacuum bag or a large, high quality ziplock bag. Add the rest of the ingredients and seal. Immerse the sealed bag and cook for 12 hours.

When the time is up, you can stick the bag straight in the fridge and cook any time in the next four to five days. Or open the bag immediately, pour out and reserve the liquid fat and juices – they are delicious and can be used to enhance stocks or sauces. Pat the legs dry carefully as the meat is now going to be ready to fall off the bone.

Roast at 230c until the skin is crisp. Alternatively, place under the grill but at a decent distance from the element. The juniper/thyme version are good with roasted vegetables, glazed carrots, bright and zingy salads. The ginger/five spice version is superb with hoisin, cucumber, spring onions and pancakes or rice.