Cesar

Cesar Country Stew Trays: Poultry, Beef & Lamb review

Name: Cesar Country Stew Trays: Poultry, Beef & Lamb
Brand: Cesar

58.9/100Good

WetAdult

Flavour

Soft chunks in gravy, where the analysis reads better than the ingredient list. Two animals are pinned at 4% each and everything else goes to category terms. The poultry, beef and lamb selection reaches our Good band; the other three sit a step below in Average, with barely anything between them.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Fussy eaters who do better with soft chunks in gravy
Smaller dogs. A 150g tray is a serving in itself, nothing to cover and put back in the fridge
Dogs that take on too little water, about four fifths of each tray being moisture
Households that like to rotate the meat, several recipes under one lid
A meat-forward analysis, protein just under half of dry matter

Worth watching

Only two animals named per tray. None can anchor an elimination diet
Unnamed cereals and vegetable derivatives, if you avoid one grain in particular
Selection packs hold four recipes under one name, so read each sleeve before feeding a dog that must avoid one animal
At 84 to 89 kcal per 100g, a larger dog needs several trays a day

Written by our editorial team. Independent guidance, not veterinary advice.

How this scores

How we score

58.9/100Good

Protein and processingGood

Nutritional balanceOutstanding

TransparencyExcellent

ValueGood

The details

Dog fit

Listed for adults of every size, though the 150g tray suits a small dog best. For anything bigger, count the trays a day from the label's table before you buy.

Food type

Wet

Life stage

Adult

Breed size

Toy, Small, Medium, Large, Giant

Main protein

Poultry

The score, in context

Poultry 58.9
Fish 47.2
Beef 47.1
Chicken in Gravy 46.8

Four recipes across Good and Average. Typical wet food: Excellent.

The analysis is sound on every tray; what separates them, and holds them all back, is how much of the meat each label will name.

What's in it

Meat and animal derivativesChunk typically 47% of the tray.
Turkey, beef, lamb4% eachNamed across the four sleeves, beef on two.
Chicken liver4%On every sleeve.
Bakery products: pasta1.2%Equivalent to 4% cooked pasta, on the beef sleeve.
Derivatives of vegetable origin
Vegetables: carrots, peas0.6% to 1.2% dried
Vegetable protein extractsOnly in this selection.
Minerals, cereals
Herbs: rosemary, parsley0.08%, 0.02%

A short panel, each with a dose per kilo: vitamin D3 with copper, iodine, iron, manganese and zinc. No vitamin E on this one.

Named ingredients

With Beef, Pasta, Carrots and Parsley: Meat and Animal Derivatives (including Beef* 4% and Chicken Liver 4% in the Chunk), Bakery Products (including Pasta 1.2%, equivalent to Cooked Pasta 4%), Derivatives of Vegetable Origin, Vegetables (including Dried Carrots 0.6%, equivalent to Carrots 4%), Minerals, Vegetable Protein Extracts, Herbs (including Parsley 0.02%), Cereals, With Turkey, Beef and Herbs: Meat and Animal Derivatives (including Turkey* 4% and Beef*4% and Chicken Liver* 4% in the Chunk), Derivatives of Vegetable Origin, Vegetable Protein Extracts, Minerals, Herbs (Rosemary 0.08%, Parsley 0.02%), Cereals, Vegetables, With Poultry, Vegetables and Parsley: Meat and Animal Derivatives (including Chicken Liver* 4% in the Chunk), Vegetables (including a Mix of Dried Carrots and Peas 0.8%, equivalent to a Mix of Carrots and Peas 4%), Derivatives of Vegetable Origin, Minerals, Vegetable Protein Extracts, Herbs (including Parsley 0.02%), Cereals, With Lamb and Peas in Herb Sauce: Meat and Animal Derivatives (including Lamb* 4% and Chicken Liver* 4% in the Chunk), Vegetables (including Dried Peas 1.2%, equivalent to Peas 4%), Derivatives of Vegetable Origin, Minerals, Vegetable Protein Extracts, Herbs (Rosemary 0.08%, Parsley 0.02%), Cereals, *Natural ingredients, Chunk typically 47% of the product

Against the range

Fat, declared: 5.0%; 4.5% on the other three.
Energy: 89 kcal per 100g; 84 on the others.
Pasta and vegetable protein extracts: Yes; Not in the other selections.
Band: Good; Average on the other three.

The best of the four on our scoring, and a touch richer.

Every label is a chunk, typically 47% to 49% of the tray, in gravy. Inside the chunk, meat and animal derivatives run from 81% to 93%. The animals named arrive at 4% each: chicken liver on nearly every sleeve, with lamb, beef, turkey, chicken or cod beside it depending on the tray.

The rest is category terms. Meat and animal derivatives covers any warm-blooded land animal, cereals any grain, derivatives of vegetable origin almost anything grown, and each can move between batches. Protein converts to 47.4% or 48.4% of dry matter, and herbs appear only at trace level.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

89 kcal/100g

Protein

Fat

Fibre

0.4%

Ash

1.7%

Moisture

81%

Dry weight

Protein

47.4%

Fat

26.3%

Fibre

2.1%

Ash

8.9%

Carbs

15.3%

As-fed composition

Estimated breakdown of the finished product by ingredient category, from the declared ingredient list and ingoing weights. These are estimates, not measurements.

Meat

11.9%

Added water

31.8%

Carbs

8.6%

Veg

0.4%

Other

47.3%

Pricing & size