Embden
The Embden is a breed of domestic goose thought to originate from the town of Emden in Germany, although its actual lineage is unclear. They are large birds - 20lbs in weight for the goose and 30lbs for the gander - and make excellent table birds. Embdens are pure white in colour with pale orange bills, legs and feet.

Toulouse
The Toulouse breed in noted as far back as the 16th Century; they are similar in size to the Embden, but are much better egg layers, producing up to 160 eggs a year. They are most commonly grey in colour although buff-coloured Toulouse geese are also available. They are generally of quite placid, but individual birds can vary in temperament.

Steinbacher
The Steinbacher goose was developed in Germany in the early 20th Century, bred from common farmyard and Asiatic or Tula geese. They are a smaller breed, 13-15 lbs for males, 11-13 lbs for females and usually lay only a dozen or so eggs a year. They are usually blue (lavender) or grey in colour and have an orange bill with a distinctive black 'bean' and black edge serrations, although buff, white and cream varieties also exist.