Reg Johnson’s Goosnargh poultry

I’ve known Reg a few years now, through chef Paul Heathcote. Reg farms poultry in Goosnargh, pronounced ‘Goozna’, and his ducks, chickens and geese are the real deal. He inherited the business from his stepfather, Thomas Swarbrick, when it was then a mixed farm of dairy cattle, battery chickens and sheep. Paul badgered Reg to breed decent ducks and chickens, like French poultry, as he couldn’t find an English product that matched up to his needs, and wanted to buy local.

When Reg first started experimenting for Paul, he tried and tested various breeds of both ducks and chickens, settling for an Aylesbury and Peking cross.