Rosemary says: "I’ve been making this recipe for years and my family loves it. It’s essential to hang the duck to get rid of the moisture, so the skin rises up and becomes really crisp during cooking.

"I hang it in my garage, but if you don’t have a suitable outbuilding, just leave it in the coolest part of your house. The pancakes are a lot of fun to make. Be sure to oil them really well so they don’t stick together."

(Serves 6)

Ingredients

1 medium duck
2 tbsp honey, dissolved in
1 tbsp water
2 tbsp dark soy sauce

For the pancakes:

500g plain flour
½ tsp chilli powder (optional)
1 tsp fine sea salt
400ml water
50ml vegetable oil

To serve:

150ml hoisin sauce
2 bunches of spring onions, cut into fine strips and then into 3cm lengths
1 cucumber, cut into fine strips


Method

1. Rinse the duck, drain and then remove any fat from the cavity opening and around the neck. Plunge the duck into a large saucepan of boiling water and cook for 1 minute to tighten the skin. Remove and drain, then dry thoroughly.

2. While the skin is still warm, mix the diluted honey and soy sauce together and brush all over the
duck. Hang the duck up to dry in a cool, airy place for at least 12 hours or overnight. Brush occasionally with the remaining honey mixture.

3. Set the duck on a rack in a roasting tin. Place in an oven preheated to 200C/Gas Mark 6 and roast for 1½ hours without basting or turning. Check to make sure that the duck is not over-browning, and if it is, cover it loosely with foil.

4. Meanwhile, make the pancakes. Put the flour, chilli powder, if using, and salt into a large bowl. Bring the water to the boil and slowly add to the flour mixture, stirring constantly. Add 2 teaspoons of the oil and mix to a smooth dough. Divide the dough in half.  Roll each half into a sausage shape and cut into 12 pieces. Form a piece of dough into a ball, then push down and roll out into a small circle. Repeat with another ball of dough. Brush a little of the oil all over one of the circles of dough right to the edge, then place the other circle of dough on top. Roll into a pancake about 18–20cm round. Repeat with the remaining dough to make 12 pancakes.

5. Heat a dry, non-stick frying pan until medium hot, add one double pancake and cook over a low heat for at least 2 minutes on each side, until dry to the touch.  Remove from the pan, peel the 2 pancakes apart and set aside. Repeat with the remaining pancakes. When ready to serve, heat the pancakes in a steamer or wrap in foil and heat up in the oven.

6. Remove the cooked duck from the oven. Take off the skin and cut into small slices, then carve the
meat, or carve both the skin and meat together.  Arrange on a serving plate.

7. To eat, spread a little hoisin sauce over a pancake, add a few strips of spring onion and cucumber, then some duck skin and meat and roll up the pancake.  Turn up the bottom edge to prevent the contents from falling out.

If you fancy a Chinese beer with your pancakes why not try one of the following:

TSINGTAO, £1.29

SUN LIK BEER, £1.39

LUCKY BEER, £1.79