Years

Years Chef's Collection: British Spring Lamb Shepherd's Pie review

Name: Years Chef's Collection: British Spring Lamb Shepherd's Pie
Brand: Years

55.2/100Good

FreshPuppyAdult

Flavour

Fresh food written like a restaurant menu and labelled like a serious one. Four of the five trays reach our Outstanding band; the Shepherd's Pie lands in Good. Every ingredient carries a percentage, and each tray prints its calcium and phosphorus per kilo.

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

Owners who want to read a proper recipe, every ingredient measured
Dogs that have met the everyday meats. Wild boar, wagyu, king prawn and giant squid are all here
Fussy dogs, as gently cooked food looks and smells like a meal
Puppies, adults and seniors, all listed for every tray
Anyone who likes the mineral side printed per kilo

Worth watching

Four of the five mix two or more animals
Fromage frais puts dairy in the lasagne
The trays need fridge or freezer room before the first delivery

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

How this scores

How we score

55.2/100Good

Protein and processingAverage

Nutritional balancePoor

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueGood

The details

Dog fit

Listed for puppies, adults and seniors. Pick the tray by its animals, since only the lasagne keeps to one.

Food type

Fresh

Life stage

Puppy, Adult, Senior

Breed size

Toy, Small, Medium, Large, Giant

Main protein

Lamb

The score, in context

Wild Boar Quarter Pounder Burger 92.1
Wagyu Steak Lasagne 83.3
The Chef's Christmas Wellington 82.7
King Prawn 82.1
British Spring Lamb Shepherd's Pie 55.2

Five recipes across Outstanding and Good. Typical fresh food: Outstanding.

Four trays hold the line in the strongest category we score, and the Shepherd's Pie sits lower on an analysis its own ingredient list does not support.

What's in it

Lamb shoulder, lamb heart17.8%, 17.5%The lead pair.
Sweet potato, butternut squash14.2%, 11.6%The starch.
Red pepper6.6%
Pork liver, pork kidney5% eachA second animal, as organ meat.
Pork shoulder, pork belly3%, 2%
Sunflower oil, coconut oil1.7%, 0.7%
Tapioca starch1.4%Close to pure starch, in a small amount.
Beef gelatine0.5%Sets the pie, and puts beef on the list.
Yeast, carob, bamboo fibre, tomato, pumpkin seeds, turmeric, parsley0.24% and belowCarob colours it.

A per kilo table covering calcium, phosphorus, taurine, vitamin E, zinc, iron, copper, iodine and the B vitamins.

The published analysis does not line up with this recipe, so the ingredient list is the truer guide.

Named ingredients

Lamb Shoulder (17.8%), Lamb Heart (17.5%), Sweet Potato (14.2%), Butternut Squash (11.6%), Red Pepper (6.6%), Pork Liver (5%), Pork Kidney (5%), Pork Shoulder (3%), Pork Belly (2%), Sunflower Oil (1.7%), Tapioca starch (1.4%), Coconut Oil (0.7%), Beef Gelatine (0.5%), Deactivated Nutritional Yeast (0.24%), Carob Powder (0.24%), Bamboo Fibre (0.14%), Tomato Powder (0.12%), Red pepper kibble (0.09%), Pumpkin Seeds (0.07%), Turmeric Powder (0.02%), Parsley (0.02%).

Against the range

Score band: Good; The other four are Outstanding.
Nutritional balance: Poor; Good to Outstanding elsewhere.
Other animals on the label: Pork, beef gelatine; Every tray but the lasagne mixes animals.

A sound-looking recipe held down by a label analysis that does not fit it.

Every tray names and percentages each ingredient, organs included: lamb heart, beef lung, pork heart and beef kidney all appear by name. Starch comes from roots and flours, parsnip, swede, sweet potato, yuca flour and tapioca, and there is no wheat in any of them.

Each tray prints a per kilo nutrient table, with calcium between 4003mg and 4497mg and phosphorus between 2172mg and 2604mg. Three add taurine. Only the lasagne keeps to one animal, and pink Himalayan salt turns up on three labels.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Protein

1.19%

Fat

9.38%

Fibre

1.14%

Ash

0.98%

Moisture

7.17%

Dry weight

Protein

1.3%

Fat

10.1%

Fibre

1.2%

Ash

1.1%

Carbs

86.3%

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

53.6%

Added water

7.2%

Carbs

16.5%

Veg

12.4%

Oils

2.5%

Other

7.8%

Pricing & size

Price per kilo: £9.48 (RRP)
Pack: single tray (the on-page selector chooses 1/2/3/4/5 trays per order - a quantity, not a pack size; Years does not publish the tray weight for the Chef's Collection)
A 15kg dog eats: 300 to 460 g a day, 380 in the middle
Cost per day, 15kg dog: £3.60

Middle of the market for a gently cooked fresh food, and fair value for the quality.

Ingredients and nutrition are taken from manufacturer data. Retailer pricing is not yet live for this food.