Gressingham ducks have very plump breasts with rich, good tasting meat.
They are not not quite as fatty as many other ducks.
They have thin skin that crisps up well.
Two of the breasts will weigh at least 500 g (1 lb); two of the legs will weigh at least 400 g (14 oz).
History Notes
Gressingham Ducks were developed by Gressingham Foods in East Anglia, UK from a Wild Mallard duck crossed with a Pekin duck.
In February 2011, undercover film footage by Hillside Animal Sanctuary and Sky News caught the ducks being maltreated, being carried around and swung by the neck at Hall Farm, in Norfolk. Some ducks were killed and trampled underfoot into mud. At the time, the ducks were being supplied to Waitrose Supermarkets with the assurance that they were being raised with a high degree of animal welfare.
The farm had been contracted by a company named Green Label to produce the ducks for Gressingham Foods.
Waitrose terminated its relations with the supplier the day after the news reports broke.
Sources
Poulter, Sean. Suffering of the Waitrose ducks: Store scraps farm deal over film of birds being swung by the neck and tossed through the air. London: Daily Mail. 9 February 2011.