Gardes farm, on the banks of the Dordogne River, is situated in the heart of the Montaigne region in the «Périgord Pourpre».

Renowned gastronomic tradition goes back a long way into the rich, history-laden past of this fertile land.

The tradition of farming has been handed down from father to son; the Margouti family have a mixed farm but their main activity is the cramming and processing of fattened ducks. The family are delighted to conduct tours of their farm for visitors to the Périgord.

The Farm’s History :

Gardes Farm first saw the light of day over 73 years ago when my great grandfather, Louis Vigean, and his wife decided to buy the one-and-half hectare small holding which, thanks to the tireless work of generations, has grown into a large farm. It is with great pride - and not inconsiderable emotion - that I pay tribute to the man who made us what we are today.

In the beginning there was a small vineyard and cows were kept mainly for agricultural labour. Ducks were fattened only for family consumption.

Louis Vigean’s daughter, my grandmother Emilie, and my grandfather, Marcel, took over in 1951 and my parents, Claude and Josette in 1976. Finally, and with an enthusiasm for farming dating back to my earliest childhood, my partner Catherine and I, joined the family business in 1993 forming the GAEC de Lagarde with my parents and carrying on the work already undertaken by three generations.

Our association brought a new burst of energy to the small farm and particularly to the business of cramming and processing fattened ducks embarked upon a few years earlier by Josette - having inherited the precious duck-fattening skills of « Granny Emilie » who had, of course, herself learnt them from her mother... and so on and so forth down through the generations.

Gardes Farm now counts a total of 55 hectares and duck-fattening and processing is its main activity although grapes from its vineyard are delivered to a wine co-operative, some cereals are grown and a few dairy cows allow veal-raised-under-the-mother to be sold on a small scale.

Text translated by Pays du Grand Bergeracois (professional translator).