The Duck Wellington Is An Ingenious Christmas Twist At Monsieur Le Duck

At any other time of the year, you have to specially pre-order Monsieur le Duck's duck wellington — such is the artistry that goes into it. But it's a fixture of their Christmas menu — and what a joyous take on the festive classic it is, too.

The behemoth of duck breast, sourced from a small farm in Gascony, is swaddled in moistening layers of spinach mushroom, and buttery pastry, and arrives at out table the size of a small loaf of bread. It's the kind of dish that has you defeated before you've started — even shared between the suggested two people. But goodness me, is it good.

London needs more restaurants like Monsieur Le Duck; devoted to the art of cooking with one main ingredient, which allows the chefs time to experiment, and get dishes just right. Embracing Monsieur le Duck's douceur de vivre (sweetness of living) way of thinking, we take our time digging into the thick tranches of wellington (the duck is pink and sweet), paired with a huge Yorkshire pudding, sizeable spuds and spicy apple chutney and red cabbage — all very festive. London's slew of restaurant turkey dinners will be quaking (or should that be quacking?) in their boots.

(And don't worry — nothing went to waste: we ate the rest of our wellington for dinner the next day.)

The duck wellington is available at Monsieur Le Duck, Clerkenwell, over the Christmas period