Years

Years Chef's Collection: The Chef's Christmas Wellington review

Name: Years Chef's Collection: The Chef's Christmas Wellington
Brand: Years

82.7/100Outstanding

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

82.7/100Outstanding

Protein and processingOutstanding

Nutritional balanceGood

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueOutstanding

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

Beef

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

Beef steak28.9%
Parsnip, yuca flour9.5%, 8.4%
Beef liver, beef kidney8.2%, 6.2%Organs named and weighed.
Water, carrot6.5%, 6.3%
Pork heart, pork shoulder6%, 3.0%Pork alongside the beef.
Whole egg4.1%Binds it.
Tapioca starch, quinoa3.4%, 0.6%
Kale, dried mushroom, cranberry2.6%, 1.9%
Sunflower oil, beef tallow, herbs and botanicals1%, 0.7%, 0.7%
Psyllium, konjac, guar, taurine, salt0.25% and belowThe setting work a pastry case would do. Taurine added at 0.25%.

Vitamins and minerals at 1.25%, with calcium, phosphorus and the trace minerals printed per kilo.

Named ingredients

Beef Steak 28.9%, Parsnip 9.5%, Yuca Flour 8.4%, Beef Liver 8.2%, Beef Kidney 6.2%, Water 6.5%, Carrot 6.3%, Pork Heart 6%, Whole Egg 4.1%, Tapioca Starch 3.4%, Pork Shoulder 3.0%, Kale 2.6%, Dried Mushroom 1.9%, Vitamins & Minerals 1.25%, Rosemary-infused Sunflower Oil 1%, Herbs & Botanicals 0.7% [Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Kelp, Chamomile, Alfalfa, Nettle Powder, Chicory Root, Dandelion Powder], Beef Tallow 0.7%, Quinoa 0.6%, Psyllium Husk Powder 0.25%, Taurine 0.25%, Pink Himalayan Sea Salt 0.16%, Konjac 0.05%, Cranberry 0.04%, Guar 0.03%.

Against the range

Fat, dry matter: 16.7%; The leanest tray; up to 30.0% elsewhere.
Carbohydrate, dry matter: 44.3%; 21% in the burger.
Vegetables: Parsnip, carrot, kale, mushroom; The widest spread with the beef.

For a dog that likes beef with plenty of vegetables, this is the tray.

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

Energy

164.7 kcal/100g

Protein

11%

Fat

Fibre

Ash

Moisture

64%

Dry weight

Protein

30.6%

Fat

16.7%

Fibre

5.6%

Ash

2.8%

Carbs

44.3%

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

56.4%

Added water

6.5%

Carbs

12.4%

Veg

19.1%

Oils

1.7%

Other

3.9%

Pricing & size

Price per kilo: £9.48 (RRP)
Pack: single tray (the on-page selector chooses 1/2 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: 330 to 420 g a day, 375 in the middle
Cost per day, 15kg dog: £3.56

Middle of the market for gently cooked fresh food, and strong value for the recipe.

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