Whisk together 125ml soya sauce with 125ml Sherry. Using a sharp knife, make diagonal cuts at 2cm intervals in the duck skin (avoid cutting the meat) of 4 duck breasts (160g each). Place the duck and marinade in a glass dish and cover (or I prefer to use a Ziploc plastic bag). Refrigerate between 2-6 hours.

In a medium saucepan place a dozen black cherries (fresh, frozen, or canned), 200ml chicken stock, 200ml beef stock, 125ml ruby Port and 1 sprig fresh thyme. Bring to a boil, and then simmer till the liquid has reduced down to a thickish sauce (around 15 minutes).

Meanwhile, heat a large pan over medium heat. Remove the duck from the marinade and place skin side down in the skillet. Cook until much of the fat has melted into the pan and the skin is crisp (around 10 minutes). Turn over and continue cooking to desired doneness (no more than 5 minutes for medium rare). Transfer to a cutting board, cover with foil and let rest a couple minutes while you finish the sauce.

Remove the thyme sprig from the sauce. Add 30ml (2tbs) butter to the sauce and whisk till well incorporated. 

Slice the duck breasts on a diagonal and fan out on four plates. Spoon the sauce over the duck and serve. This goes very nicely with Sweet potato crumble.