Primal Spirit Complete Wanderlust review

Wanderlust settles in our Good band, which is precisely where the typical cold-pressed food lands, and it does so on the strength of its animal share. Chicken at 50% and fish at 20% push protein to 34.6% of dry matter and hold carbohydrate down to 33.3%, well clear of the 43.2% typical for the category. Against that, the label declares no vitamin or mineral addition and no calcium figure, and its produce tail is trimmed to token inclusions. That is what keeps it level with the category instead of above it. Protein and processing reads Good, and nutritional balance and value do the same. Transparency reads Excellent.

Ingredients, as declared: 50% fresh chicken, 20% fresh fish, 20% rice, 5% beta vulgaris pulp, 4% brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), 0.25% carrot, 0.25% apple, 0.25% chicory, 0.125% rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), 0.125% turmeric (Curcuma longa)

Cold pressing is the method behind every recipe in this range. The pellet is compressed at low heat, with no high-temperature cooking and no puffing into shape, and on contact with water it crumbles apart where baked kibble swells. Owners come to the format for that behaviour as much as for anything on the ingredients list.

Fresh chicken at 50% is the biggest single animal inclusion Primal Spirit prints, with fresh fish at 20% behind it. Fresh meats carry their water into the mix, so the pellet ends up with rather less animal matter than those percentages imply. The analysis is the honest place to look: protein converts to 34.6% of dry matter and fat to 18.5%. Both readings are the strongest among the brand's chicken-led recipes.

Rice at 20% supplies the starch, and it is the mildest common cereal you could pick for the job. It has no gluten and is gentle on a delicate stomach. Beta vulgaris pulp at 5% is beet pulp given its botanical name, and it does the fibre work. That means holding stools together and feeding the gut flora. Chicory at 0.25% adds a little inulin, a prebiotic in its own right, and at that size it plays a supporting part.

Brewer's yeast at 4% is the highest inclusion in the Primal Spirit line and quietly one of the more useful entries here. For the B vitamins, thiamine through folic acid, few natural sources beat it, and it carries a complete protein of its own alongside the savoury smell dogs respond to. On a label with no supplement panel, an ingredient like this is carrying more weight than its position suggests.

The produce is where Wanderlust economises. Carrot, apple and chicory at 0.25% each, then rosemary and turmeric at 0.125%, are inclusions you would struggle to taste, let alone measure a benefit from, and the printed figures are refreshingly honest about it. The rosemary is likely there as a natural antioxidant protecting the fats, not as a herb. Set against that, no vitamin and mineral addition is declared anywhere, and 9.0% crude ash arrives with no calcium declaration to interpret it. A good part of the micronutrition is taken on the ingredients.

£4.03 a kilo. Bag sizes are 1kg, 12kg and a 2 x 12kg option.

A 15kg adult dog in moderate condition needs about 840 kcal a day using the standard maintenance estimate (110 × bodyweight^0.75). This food carries 346 kcal per 100g, so that is roughly 243g, and £0.98 a day.