Choosing a foie gras can be confusing as there are so many jars and tins available on the market. The job of narrowing it down can be a real trial. Tests in consumer magazines can help as they usually put together a panel of experts who can bring their knowledge of the products to bear on behalf of the consumer. The only trouble with these reviews is they will only cover a limited amount of foies gras and may not cover the ones you find on offer.

Reading the label can help to narrow down the good ones. A good foie gras should contain nothing more than liver , salt and pepper. A bloc foie gras should additionally contain a little water, nitrate salts and sugar. Foie gras does not benefit from the addition of alcohol, artificial flavours or antioxidants such as ascorbic acid.  Any foie gras showing these additions should be avoided.

It is important that the label should contain “foie gras du Sud-Ouest”, “foie gras du Périgord”, “foie gras Label Rouge” or “oie du Périgord”. These show that the foie gras has been authentically produced in the South West to a high standard. Foies gras labelled as “product of France” or “country of origin France” are to be avoided as they contain the lowest quality product.

Medals can show that a foie gras is of good quality although there is some debate about the awarding of some medals.

Overall it is a joy tpo find the right foie gras as a really good product is a luxury that it is hard to fault.