Canard!

So today we have finally found some ducks and what a revelation the canard industry is. At Val De Chandiere batchs of ducks were bought in at 14 weeks for 12 euros then Gavarage or force fed soaked maize for 15 days and then were worth 50 Euros. Every 3 weeks batchs of 120 were bought in then processed to make everything you could possibly want from a duck, rillette,confit, Foie gras, Grillons,the list was endless! Our host seemed to find it unbelievable that in the UK we did not have a market for necks and gizzards. Here they were even selling the green offals. The processing plant was of reasonable standard but nowhere near the levels of hygiene and maintance that are required in the UK, this was particularly disapointing for Nevil when he struggles at home with constantly changing legislation that is meant to be the same across the EU.
Top price product today went to Foie Entier at 133.33 Euro's per kg, thats the whole lobes of liver in a tin. If you wanted cheaper then you could buy Bloc de foie Gras that is pressed together, much better value at 90 euros per kg. We currently sell organic duck livers that weigh around 50g each at £9 per kg a force fed canard Foie will weigh around 500g.
As usual I came back laden with more tins and jars to try, but for a change tonight we ate Duck sausages with lentiles Vert as even nevil is start to complain about the amount of duck confit he is being made to eat!

The Gavage or force feeder, Ducks are fed boiled maize twice a day.

The Cooker where the fat is rendered and then all the parts of duck are cooked. Looks similar to a ham boiler. (That disgusting thing is a cooked neck being hooked out for making into a rough pate)

Ducks in cages and on slatted floor, something that our customers would find unacceptable. Ducks are Mulards or mules a sterile cross between a barbary male and a female pekin. Finished dead weight will be around 5 to 5.5 kg