Wanhantuvan Farm: Over 500 Years in the Same Family
Wanhantuvan Tila, also known as Wanhantuvan Ankkala (Wanhantuvan Duck Farm), is situated in the village of Toivila in the Halikko region of Southwestern Finland. This historic family farm has been owned by the same family for more than 500 years. According to its owner, Mikael Oksanen, the oldest part of one of the farm's buildings is over 700 years old. During a visit to the farm with my friend Amie, Mikael shared us fascinating stories not only about his ducks and the farm's present-day activities, but also about the remarkable history of his family and the village of Toivila.
How Our Duck-Hunting Expedition Began
Following our trip to Prague in October, Amie and I decided to learn how to prepare a delicious traditional Czech roast duck (see my earlier blog post). Amie tried to find a duck at Helsinki's Hakaniemi Market Hall, while I enquired about their availability at K-Citymarket supermarkets. Neither of us had any luck.
We therefore decided to travel 126 kilometres from Vantaa to a duck farm to buy our birds directly from the producer.
Duck: A Forgotten Delicacy in Finnish Food Culture
Amie mentioned that the title of Finnish author Sofi Oksanen's 2012 novel, When the Doves Disappeared (In Finnish: Kun kyyhkyset katosivat), refers to German soldiers catching pigeons for food in Estonia during the Second World War.
In Finland, too, the war years and the decades that followed brought significant changes to food culture. According to Mikael, ducks were once raised on Finnish farms and even in domestic back gardens, but they have since become something of a rarity.
Nowadays, many Finns are unfamiliar with preparing a whole duck, although duck breasts imported from France are perhaps a more familiar sight in Finnish supermarkets and restaurants. The situation is quite different in Britain and much of continental Europe, where duck has a long-established place in traditional cuisine. In countries such as Czechia, Germany, Austria and France, duck frequently appears on restaurant menus. In Czechia, for example, roast duck, known as pečená kachna, is traditionally served with potato dumplings (knedlíky) and braised red cabbage (červené zelí).
What a delightful coincidence that, just as we were buying our ducks and planning our Czech roast duck dinner, preparations were under way in Czechia for St Martin's Day (svátek svatého Martina) on 11 November! The celebration is associated with a centuries-old culinary tradition, traditionally centred on roast goose (svatomartinská husa). Duck, however, is also enjoyed as a festive alternative and may be rather kinder to the household budget of an ordinary Czech family. The meal is frequently accompanied by young St Martin's wine (Svatomartinské víno), made from the year's grape harvest. The first bottles are traditionally opened on 11 November at precisely 11.11 am.
It is rather curious that duck, with its long and distinguished place in European culinary history, has become something of a rarity in Finland, where it is now more commonly encountered in the form of imported duck breasts. Surely this is something we could change?
Arriving at Wanhantuvan Duck Farm
Amie's smartphone navigation brought us directly to the entrance of the farm shop. When we arrived, a family from Kaarina, a town near Turku, was just finishing its shopping. During our conversation, Amie mentioned that we had travelled all the way from Vantaa, near Helsinki, which made everyone laugh. There we were, duck enthusiasts arriving from both western and southern Finland! Omnes viae Romam ducunt! All roads lead to Rome!
Farm-owner Mikael welcomed us warmly. He spoke in a pleasantly clear and engaging manner and proved to be an excellent storyteller. We heard many interesting details about the history of the farm, his family and previous generations, as well as the animals and everyday life on the property today.
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| The oldest building at Wanhantuvan Farm. According to Mikael, its original section dates back more than 700 years. The building has been extended over the centuries, and some of its original logs have also been reused in other buildings. |
The Early History of Toivila Village
Toivila has a long history, dating back to the period when Finland formed part of the Kingdom of Sweden. According to Mikael, the village once consisted of four savu, literally meaning 'smokes' or 'hearths'. In historical Finnish taxation and population records compiled under the Swedish Crown, a savu referred to a household, traditionally identified by the smoke rising from its chimney. Such households formed units for taxation purposes.
This old administrative term offers an interesting glimpse into the organisation of rural communities and the way farms and households were recorded in earlier centuries.
The Great Finnish Famine: The Summer of 1867
Finland experienced its last great famine between 1866 and 1868, one of the most devastating periods in the country's nineteenth-century history. The exceptionally cold spring and summer of 1867 caused widespread crop failures. Frost and the unusually short growing season also affected agriculture in the Halikko region. The effects of the famine were compounded by infectious diseases, including typhoid fever and dysentery.
Smallholders and tenant farmers were particularly vulnerable, as their livelihoods depended heavily on agriculture. Mikael explained that, as a consequence of the famine years, many farms became what were known as 'empty houses', because their owners could no longer afford to pay taxes to the Swedish Crown. This did not necessarily mean that all the inhabitants had died or abandoned their homes. Rather, the designation could reflect the severe financial difficulties that had made the farms economically unviable.
Five Centuries of Resilience: A Finnish Family Farm
The history of Wanhantuvan Farm is a remarkable example of the resilience and continuity of Finnish family farming. Having remained in the hands of the same family for more than five centuries, the property has witnessed countless social and economic upheavals, famines, wars and major changes in agricultural practices.
Yet the farm has not merely survived. It continues to operate, adapt and develop. When the regional abattoir closed, the family established its own slaughterhouse on the farm's land, enabling them to continue their operations despite the loss of an essential local service.
This combination of resilience, resourcefulness and determination to adapt to changing circumstances helps explain how a family farm can not only survive but remain viable and productive across generations.
Sculptor Heikki Häiväoja and the Farm's First Peafowl
In addition to ducks, rabbits, chickens and quails, Wanhantuvan Farm also keeps peafowl.
The farm's first peafowl came from the Finnish sculptor Heikki Häiväoja (1929–2019). He was particularly well known for designing medals, commemorative monuments, gravestones and coins. Among his most recognisable works is the Finnish heraldic lion featured on Finland's 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50-cent euro coins. Häiväoja was also a peafowl farmer.
Although the birds arrived silently at first, they could not be hidden for long due to their loud calls. The neighbors asked Mikael what on earth was making such noises, to which he jokingly answered that perhaps it was a lynx. However, the birds eventually became known.
Peafowl Living Amongst the Chickens
The peafowl live amongst the chickens, which has resulted in some unexpected consequences. Mikael told us about one particular peahen that had shown very little interest in brooding her eggs, leaving them to the chickens to incubate and raise instead. However the young peafowl raised by the hens subsequently behaved as though they were chickens themselves. They even sat obediently in a row on the perch, just like the hens that had raised them!
Wild Predators at Wanhantuvan Farm
Mikael explained that several species of wild predators regularly visit the farm. In addition to wolves and foxes, lynx have been spotted in the area, as well as golden eagles and white-tailed eagles. Birds of prey can be seen soaring above the farm several times a week. According to Mikael, the number of white-tailed eagles has increased considerably. He believes that their recovery is due to the ban on hunting them. Protecting domestic animals from predators is an ongoing challenge for the farm. On some occasions, the consequences have been particularly distressing. Mikael told us that wolves had sometimes killed all the chickens. To improve their safety, the chickens are now kept indoors overnight.
Amie, who grew up in Ristijärvi in the Kainuu region of eastern Finland, observed that lynx seem to be rather more merciful hunters than wolves. In her experience, a lynx generally kills only the prey it intends to eat, whereas a wolf may kill considerably more animals than it needs for immediate consumption. Mikael wondered whether wolves might sometimes kill several animals because the remains would subsequently provide food for scavengers.
Whatever the explanation for such behaviour, encounters with large predators form part of everyday life on the farm, bringing the possibility of losses and a constant need to protect the domestic animals.
Products from Wanhantuvan Duck Farm
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| It is a pity that Mikael had his eyes closed, as his irises displayed beautiful shades of gold, bronze and green, rather like the eye-shaped patterns (ocelli) on a peacock's tail feathers, with their bronze-coloured rings. Perhaps it is no coincidence that Mikael's wife, Tiina, is so fond of peacocks! |
Wanhantuvan Ankkala is particularly known for its ducks and duck eggs, although the farm produces a range of other poultry products as well. Depending on availability, customers can buy chicken, duck meat, quail, duck eggs and duck liver. Rabbit meat is also available.
Further information about the farm's products can be found on its website:
How the Age of Ducks and Quails Affects Egg Size
One particularly interesting aspect of our visit was seeing how much the size of duck and quail eggs can vary according to the age of the birds. We saw some absolutely tiny quail eggs, as well as duck eggs from birds of different ages. The differences in size were remarkable. When buying eggs from a supermarket, one rarely encounters such variation, as eggs are generally sorted into standard size categories. Buying directly from a producer, however, provides a much better appreciation of these natural differences.
Mikael explained that young duck initially lay relatively small eggs, often comparable in size to ordinary s-sized chicken's eggs or even smaller. As a duck matures, the size of its eggs increases. Older ducks can lay exceptionally large eggs, which Amie amusingly christened 'granny eggs'. The name seemed wonderfully appropriate!
How Brexit Has Affected Duck Farms in Finland
The first ducks at the Wanhantuvan Farm were originally purchased from the Cherry Valley duck breeding operation in Lincolnshire, England. The United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union, commonly known as Brexit, has created difficulties even for duck breeders on Finnish family farms.
Mikael explained that obtaining new breeding ducks from Britain is no longer a practical option for the farm. According to him, importing ducks from Sweden is also currently problematic because of restrictions associated with avian influenza. The farm is therefore exploring the possibility of obtaining new breeding stock from Norway.
This is particularly important for maintaining the genetic diversity of its duck population. If the same breeding lines are used repeatedly over too many generations, the risk of inbreeding increases. According to Mikael, one consequence can be a gradual reduction in the size of both the ducks and their eggs. Introducing new breeding birds from genetically distinct lines is therefore essential for maintaining a healthy and productive flock.
It is remarkable how the consequences of Brexit can reach even a centuries-old Finnish family farm, where international connections play an important role in preserving the vitality of the breeding stock. I suggested to Mikael that the farm might consider inviting the British Ambassador to Finland, Her Excellency Ms Laura Davies, to visit Wanhantuvan Ankkala. The Ambassador also enjoys visiting different regions of Finland, including rural communities and farms. Perhaps she might be able to help identify a possible solution, or at least establish contacts with the appropriate people who could clarify whether importing breeding ducks from Britain might once again become feasible.
What Amie and I Bought
Amie purchased a large duck weighing almost 3 kg, along with some of the enormous 'granny eggs' and a selection of miniature eggs. The tiny eggs particularly appealed to her because her grandson had previously told her a miniature-egg race. Now she wanted to show him some real miniature eggs! She also planned to show them to her son's family, who would be coming over to enjoy a roast duck dinner. The family had visited Prague a year earlier, so a traditional Czech meal would be a particularly appropriate choice. I promised to help Amie prepare the duck, potato dumplings and braised red cabbage.
My own purchases were rather substantial:
- Two ducks
- Eight quails
- 20 large duck eggs
Altogether, we came home with enough poultry to keep us fed for some time!
Duck Liver on My Next Visit
Wanhantuvan Ankkala also sells duck liver, although I did not purchase any on this visit. Next time, I will get some duck liver. I love terrine de foie gras, and would like to recreate in my home kitchen.
Mikael explained that the colour of a duck's liver can provide an indication of its fat content and an appetite. A pale, yellowish or beige liver may indicate a relatively high proportion of fat. Traditional foie gras, literally meaning 'fatty liver', is characterised by its rich, creamy texture and high fat content. A darker liver, whether reddish or greyish, generally has a different composition and does not behave in quite the same way during cooking. A leaner liver is not suitable for preparing a traditional foie gras terrine, as it can release too much liquid during cooking rather than producing the desired texture.
Lunch in Salo and Shopping in Lohja
After our visit to Wanhantuvan Duck Farm, we headed into the centre of Salo, the former capital of legendary Nokia Mobile Phones, for lunch at Ravintola Istanbul, a restaurant that has been operating for over 40 years. The salad buffet offered a generous selection, and our main courses were well prepared.
Our duck-buying expedition did not end there, however. On our way home, we also stopped at ABC Lohja for some shopping, visiting places such as Deli Baker's Bakery, Havi Outlet and Orthex Outlet.
What had originally been a simple 126-kilometre journey to buy a few ducks had turned into a thoroughly enjoyable day trip. Along the way, we had discovered fascinating local history, met an interesting family farmer, learnt more about domestic animals and wildlife, explored traditional European food culture, enjoyed a good meal and done a little shopping. Most importantly, Amie and I had the pleasure of sharing an entire day of interesting conversations and new experiences.
And, of course, we returned home with our ducks, ready for the next stage of our Czech culinary adventure!