Wimmera Gold Duck | Premium Whole Duck, Duck Breast & Duck Legs

Duck is one of those proteins that people either cook all the time or barely touch, which is a shame. When it's done right, really done right, it's hard to beat. Rich, deeply flavoured, with that skin that crisps up in a way nothing else quite does. We've added Wimmera Gold Duck to the Peter Augustus range, and honestly, it's the duck we've been wanting to stock for a while.

Wimmera Gold comes from Victoria's Wimmera region, raised by family farmers who've been doing this properly for a long time. The ducks are fed a carefully selected diet with a strong focus on Australian corn. That's not just a marketing detail. It's what gives Wimmera Gold its signature golden skin, that even layer of fat, and the texture that holds together beautifully during cooking. Whether you're slow roasting or pan-searing, you notice the difference.

A lot of people assume duck is gamey and heavy. Wimmera Gold tends to change that view pretty quickly. The flavour is rich but refined. There's no overwhelming pungency, just clean, rounded duck flavour with fat that renders rather than sits. If you've only had average duck before, this will feel like a different thing entirely.

Three cuts, all from the Wimmera Gold range. Each one suited to something different depending on how you cook and what you're planning.

The Wimmera region sits between the Grampians and the Big Desert National Park in western Victoria. It's not a place you necessarily think of first when it comes to duck farming, but the conditions there work well for it. Not extreme in either direction, clean water, experienced farmers who've been raising ducks for a long time. The results are consistent, which matters more than people sometimes admit.

The corn-feeding program is what drives the product's distinct character. Corn-finished duck develops a natural golden hue in the skin and a fat layer that has real balance to it. Not too thick, not too thin. During cooking, it renders into the meat and creates that self-basting quality that makes Wimmera Gold so forgiving to cook at home.

Duck breast rewards patience more than anything else. Start it in a cold pan, skin side down, and let the fat render slowly over medium heat. Most people rush this step. Don't. Give it eight to ten minutes before you flip, then finish it briefly on the meat side. Rest it before slicing. That's genuinely most of the technique.

For a quick reference, here's the approach that works most reliably for duck breast:

1. Score the skin lightly. Don't cut into the meat, just break the surface.
2. Season with salt. Place skin side down in a cold pan before turning on the heat.
3. Render over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes. The fat will melt out gradually.
4. Flip and cook the meat side for 2 to 3 minutes, depending on thickness.
5. Rest on a wire rack for 5 minutes before slicing.

Duck legs are more forgiving because the whole point is time. Confit is the classic approach: submerge the legs in their own fat (or a good quality duck fat) and cook low and slow, around 140°C, for two hours. You can also braise them with aromatics, wine, and stock for a French-style dish that practically finishes itself. Either way, they're hard to overcook once you understand the method.

Whole duck is mostly about managing the heat. A good trick is to start high to get the skin going, then drop the temperature and let it roast through. Score the skin before it goes in, pat it dry, salt it generously the night before if you can. The Wimmera Gold fat coverage means the bird stays moist even without basting.

What pairs well? Cherry sauce is the classic and it works for a reason. Orange too. Duck breast also sits well with Asian-style glazes, hoisin, five spice, a bit of rice wine vinegar in the pan. Duck legs take to olives, prunes, and anything with a bit of acidity to cut through the richness.