Paleo Ridge Paleo Plus Special Diet review

This recipe reaches our Outstanding band, which is exactly where the typical raw food sits, and protein and processing, nutritional balance, transparency and value all come back Outstanding. Nothing we score sets a tougher field than raw, so holding that line while stripping the fat out is genuinely difficult, since fat is where a lot of raw recipes get their nutritional density.

The label does the earning. Everything in the bowl is named and carries a percentage, the vegetables are declared one by one instead of lumped together, and the calcium content is printed, not left to guesswork.

Ingredients, as declared: 34% Beef Tripe, 32% Pork Tongue, 10% Pork Rib, 8% Carrot, 8% Kale, 5% Berry Good Supplement Mix (inc. Kale, Broccoli, Blueberries, Blackberries, Seaweed, Green Lipped Mussel, Organic Hemp Seed Powder), 2% Beef Liver, 2% Beef Kidney

Beef tripe at 34% sets the tone. Unbleached green tripe brings the enzymes and bacteria of a ruminant's own digestion, plus protein and a strong smell that dogs adore, and it is naturally lean compared with most red meat cuts. Pork tongue at 32% makes up the rest of the story, a well flavoured working muscle and a new one to plenty of dogs.

Pork rib at 10% is the only bone in the recipe, and it is a modest share, which is reflected in a declared calcium content of 0.62% of dry matter. For an adult dog that is a perfectly workable level. For a large breed puppy still laying down bone it is the number to discuss before you commit, because growing skeletons are more particular about calcium than adult ones.

Carrot and kale at 8% each are unusually large vegetable entries for a raw recipe, and they are named individually rather than hidden inside a seasonal blend. Carrot is a good source of vitamin A and soluble fibre, and kale brings antioxidants and a little roughage. Together they explain the carbohydrate estimate of 9.0% of dry matter, since a by-difference calculation has nowhere else to put them.

The Berry Good Supplement Mix takes the last 5% and is fully itemised: kale and broccoli, blueberries and blackberries, seaweed, green lipped mussel and organic hemp seed powder. Seaweed is a natural source of iodine and trace minerals, hemp seed adds omega fats, and green lipped mussel is the entry with the joint-care reputation. It also puts shellfish in the bowl, which is only relevant if that is something you are avoiding.

The analysis is the point of the whole recipe. Protein converts to 66.7% of dry matter with fat at 19.0%, a lean, meaty balance that few raw minces manage. The energy content of 104 kcal per 100g is well under the 155 kcal typical of raw food. That means larger portions for the same calories, which many dogs read as a bigger dinner.

£9.18 a kilo, sold in 500g packs.

A 15kg adult dog in moderate condition needs around 840 kcal a day on the standard maintenance estimate (110 × bodyweight^0.75), which on this recipe comes to about 808 grams a day, or £7.41.