We are Gressingham Duck
Our story begins in 1971, when Gressingham’s founders Maurice and Miriam Buchanan moved from Northern Ireland and started their farm in Debach, Suffolk.
Maurice built two sheds by hand and started farming chickens, but they soon realised they wanted to try something different.
They got in contact with a small-scale duck farmer in the Lake District, who had begun to develop a new, tasty breed of duck – a cross between the succulent Pekin duck and the flavoursome Wild Mallard.
In 1989, the first Gressingham Ducks arrived at the family farm in Debach – by train! 200 ducklings were taken on the train from Peterborough and were picked up in Cambridge by Maurice and Miriam. Over the following two years, they perfected the breed and the remarkable Gressingham Duck was born.
Fast-forward a couple of years and sons Geoff and William Buchanan joined the family business, having studied agriculture and worked elsewhere in the sector before settling down in Suffolk. They are still in charge of the family farm today.
One generation on, we are still rearing the delicious Gressingham Duck from our Red Tractor assured farms in Great Britain along with turkeys and geese for Christmas.
Gressingham is now synonymous with duck, its reputation for exceptional taste has made Gressingham the duck of choice for all of the major UK retailers and many independent stockists and specialist butchers, as well as being featured on the menus of top restaurants nationwide.