Leith’s roast duck

This is based on my signature dish at Leiths Restaurant when we opened in 1969. It was so popular that it stayed on the menu for twenty-five years, until I sold the restaurant. At one point I thought the sixty-odd ducks we sold a week would justify me starting a duck farm, but then, did I really want a duck farm? No.

We used to roast the birds whole and the waiters would expertly carve them at the table. But for ease and speed I’ve adapted the recipe for duck breasts here, which als