Method

1. Preheat the oven to 230°C/gas 8.

2. Season the ducks and roast in the oven for 50 minutes. Take them out and place on a rack to cool.

3. In a large saucepan melt the fat or butter until it starts to smoke, then add the vegetables and cook until golden. Add the bay leaf, thyme and garlic.

4. Cut and remove the duck legs from the birds and carefully remove the breasts. Put the pieces into a clean roasting pan. They will still be very pink.

5. Chop up the carcasses and add these to the vegetables. Pour in the wine and half of the prunes, and boil to reduce the wine until it evaporates.

6. Pour in the chicken stock, bring the sauce to the boil and skim off any sediment or froth that rises to the surface. Turn the sauce down to a rapid simmer and cook for about 45 minutes, until reduced by half. Pass the sauce through a fine sieve into another saucepan and gently simmer on the stove.

7. Warm the remaining prunes in a pan with the Armagnac and sugar. Heat until the liquid evaporates and the prunes look glazed and sticky.

8. Sprinkle the prunes over the duck and return to the oven to warm for 10 minutes. Pour the reduced sauce over the duck and serve immediately with sautéed potatoes and French beans.