Few foods stir the pot like foie gras. In some corners of the world, it remains the final word in indulgence and luxury. Elsewhere, it's shorthand for cruelty. Force-feeding birds may deliver silky slabs of umami-drenched fatty liver, but the ethical cost has become too high for many to stomach. 

Enter Foie Royale, a product styled as foie gras but without the force-feeding. Developed in Germany and now creeping onto menus and into retailers across Britain, it offers chefs a chance to serve the flavour and texture of foie gras without the moral dilemma.

Gavage, the method by which ducks and geese are force-fed to enlarge their livers, is coming under growing critical scrutiny globally. It involves repeatedly inserting a metal tube down a bird’s throat to deliver large quantities of grain directly into the stomach. Over time, the liver swells to around ten times its normal size, creating the buttery texture and concentrated flavour prized in foie gras.

Although it’s still legal to import and sell foie gras in the UK, the production method is banned here, and in more than a dozen other countries, too. For many, its demise is welcome. A 2023 YouGov survey found that more than 80 percent of British adults supported banning foie gras imports altogether. Yet for all the justified objections, the flavour and texture of foie gras remain irresistible to many.

Foie Royale positions itself as the answer. Developed by a team of food technologists and chefs, it’s sourced from ducks and geese raised in high-welfare conditions in Germany, with no force-feeding. How is that distinctive melting texture of foie gras achieved? The birds’ livers and the fat from their skin are combined after slaughter using a patented method that replicates the structure, flavour and other characteristics of authentically produced foie gras.  

The idea for the product dates back to 2004, when several European countries began banning gavage. Mike Logut, managing director of Foie Royale, says a friend in the food industry had worked out how to make a gavage-free foie gras-type product in his kitchen at home, and the pair wondered if the process could be replicated on a commercial scale. 

They teamed up with scientists from the German Institute of Food Technology, who eventually cracked how to combine the birds’ liver and fat in such a way that it was stable, had a long shelf life and – crucially – boasted a similar mouthfeel to authentic foie gras. 'The real breakthrough was coming up with a way to produce the same smooth, melt-in-the-mouth texture as traditional foie gras,' Logut says. 

Although it’s a processed product, there are no added preservatives, colourings, flavourings or bulking agents. 'That’s absolutely categorically something we wanted to stay clear of,' Logut says. 'It had to be a completely natural product.' They do add a ‘minuscule’ amount of port, but an alcohol-free version can be made to order.

Chef Dan Moon, ambassador for Foie Royale, is clear about why he supports it. 'I used to love foie gras but when I realised how inhumane it was, I was really put off,' he says.  It’s a view increasingly shared by diners, as many chefs can attest. 'For some people ignorance is bliss but others are very concerned and there can be kickback for having foie gras on the menu,' Moon says. 'Most chefs get nasty emails about it at some point. And rightly so, really.'

But the product’s virtues go beyond ethics. It comes vacuum packed in blocks of  various sizes, which makes it easy to work with. 'It's ready to use and there's no prep time for it, which really is a key benefit when kitchens are short on staff,' Moon says. 'And because it’s got a long shelf life, there’s less waste.' It can be served straight out of the fridge as a cold starter; pan fried, poached or roasted; whipped into parfaits, butters or incorporated into terrines; or wrapped up with beef in a Wellington. 

One of Moon’s favourite ways to prepare Foie Royale is pan-fried, finished with a touch of maple syrup, and served on bread alongside a raisin purée or chutney. He also makes a rich Foie Royale butter by blending it with standard butter and a splash of sherry vinegar. It’s the perfect foil to ham hock terrine, he says.

Jan Bretschneider, chef-proprietor of Roots in Bournemouth, is also a convert. 'It’s a very flexible ingredient,' he says. He serves a canapé of Foie Royale cream dipped in caramelised white chocolate and topped with fig and port chutney. 'If you pan sear the Foie Royale you have no loss of fat as you do with a traditional force-fed duck liver.' That makes it a gift for dishes that depend on precision. 'It doesn't shrink during cooking, so it holds shape, which I really like,' Bretschneider says.

Foie Royale has found favour not just for what it represents but for what it delivers in practice, says Logut. 'It’s an easy product,' he says. 'You literally just take it straight out, slice it, and away you go.'

Looking ahead, Logut and his team are working on a version of Foie Royale that comes in frozen slices, and there’s a vegan version in development made from plant-based fats and proteins. 'We are working towards it, but it’s still a way down the track,' Moon says.

Fortnum & Mason, Selfridges and Waitrose now stock Foie Royale, evidence that consumers are curious enough about this new luxury alternative to try cooking with it at home. It also signals the public’s readiness to reconsider long-standing loyalties to a product many now find unacceptable. If home cooks are willing to give it a go, might the same be expected of restaurant goers?

For now, it offers a technical workaround to a serious ethical challenge. Whether it will replace foie gras entirely is another question. But for chefs and diners who want luxury with a conscience it might be close enough.