St. Martin is the patron saint of drunkards, beggars and the poor and because his Feast Day falls at the end of the wine harvest, he is also the patron saint of wine growers and innkeepers. St Martin's Day falls on 11 November and in many countries this is the traditional time to eat goose.

Goose is also served at some Hanukkah celebrations while the ancient Greeks traditionally served roast goose at Christmas. After all, they hatch in the spring and are at their fattest by early winter, having gorged on the autumn harvest.

Top Austrian chef, Max Stiegl, knows how to cook perfect roast goose. His first professional tip for roasting goose is; "The goose shouldn't be freshly slaughtered. It should be allowed to hang for a few days which will make it more tender and less chewy." Take a gander below at his top tips.

Six steps to the perfect goose:

• To prepare the goose for cooking: First cut off its wings, then remove the giblets and set everything aside for later.
• For flavour, stuff the goose with marjoram, oranges, limes and apples.
• Then insert a large glass bottle in the goose — this will roast the bird evenly on all sides.
• Rub the goose all over with salt and marjoram and tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
• In a roasting pan and add beer, herbs, apples and oranges along with the giblets and wings.
• Lay the goose on top and cook in the oven at 160°C / 320°F for 30 min. per kilo.
   
• Important: Baste regularly with the juice, but make sure the fat does not overflow. You will need to drain off some of the fat half way through cooking. Keep it — goose fat makes excellent roast potatoes!
• The leftover meat juices should be used for a tasty gravy.