Essential Foods

Essential Foods Essential Nautical Living Pate review

Name: Essential Foods Essential Nautical Living Pate
Brand: Essential Foods

77/100Excellent

WetAdult

The whole tin stays at sea, and it earns our Excellent band. Salmon and cod make up 65% of the recipe between them, both printed by species and not hidden under whitefish. Beyond a spoonful each of sweet potato and pea flour, there is very little else in it.

Where to buy: coming soon

Live retailer links are coming soon. Once we have them from UK retailers, where to buy and the best price will appear here.

Our view

Likely to suit

Dogs steering clear of poultry and red meat
Owners who want the fish named, with no general fish or fish derivatives entry
Coats that need a hand. Two oily fish and salmon oil bring natural marine oils
Grain-free homes: the only starches are sweet potato and pea flour at 2% each
Fussy eaters gone off meat tins, who may take to a soft pate with a strong smell

Worth watching

Two fish in one tin, so an elimination plan cannot test salmon against cod
A dog that has refused fish before will meet nothing else here
Lignocellulose, a milled plant fibre for structure, printed plainly on the label
Only a 400 g tin, so a small dog leaves part of one in the fridge

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

How this scores

How we score

77/100Excellent

Protein and processingExcellent

Nutritional balanceOutstanding

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueExcellent

The details

Dog fit

Listed for adults of every size. The label asks 675 grams a day for a 15kg dog, so check how many tins that means for yours before ordering.

Food type

Wet

Life stage

Adult

Breed size

Toy, Small, Medium, Large, Giant

Main protein

Salmon

The score, in context

Essential Nautical Living Pate 77.0

All one Excellent. Typical wet food: Excellent.

The fish carries this one into a confident place on a wet shelf that already scores well.

What's in it

Salmon35%Named to species, which most fish-based wet foods do not manage.
Cod30%The second and last animal in the tin.
Sweet potato, pea flour2% eachThe only starches.
Salmon oil1%Above the botanicals, so a real inclusion and no token.
Cranberry, blueberry, goji berry, blackberry1% each
LignocelluloseMilled plant fibre that gives structure without calories.
Calcium carbonateBrings calcium to 0.91% of dry matter.
Kelp, green tea, marigold, ginger, spirulina0.2% each

Vitamin A, vitamin D3 and four trace elements, each with a printed figure; a tin this heavy in fish brings much of its own micronutrition.

Named ingredients

Salmon (35%), cod (30%), sweet potato (2%), pea flour (2%), salmon oil (1%), cranberry (1%), blueberry (1%), goji berry (1%), blackberry (1%), lignocellulose, calcium carbonate, kelp (0.2%), green tea (0.2%), marigold (0.2%), ginger (0.2%), spirulina (0.2%).

Against the range

One tin, and all of its animal content is fish: salmon at 35% and cod at 30%, both named to species, with salmon oil on top. The plant side is thin, with sweet potato and pea flour the only starches and four berries at one per cent each.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

112.5 kcal/100g

Protein

8.5%

Fat

7.5%

Fibre

0.8%

Ash

2.1%

Moisture

78%

Dry weight

Protein

38.6%

Fat

34.1%

Fibre

3.6%

Ash

9.5%

Carbs

14.2%

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

65%

Added water

15%

Carbs

Veg

0.4%

Oils

Other

14.6%

Pricing & size