If you’re choosing between Forthglade and Butternut Box, you’re looking at two very different ways of feeding your dog. One sits on the supermarket shelf in a plastic tray. The other arrives at your door in chilled pouches, personalised to your dog’s weight and breed.
Both brands position themselves as “natural.” Both are British. Both have strong followings. But they sit at opposite ends of the price spectrum, and they operate on completely different feeding models.
I’ve spent time comparing ingredient lists, price points, and real customer feedback for both. Here’s what I found, in full.
## Who is Forthglade?
Forthglade started life in 1971 on a farm in Devon. The brand has stayed put in the South West for over 50 years, and it still produces everything in the UK. That’s genuine heritage, not marketing spin.
They make wet dog food sold in 395g trays and 400g pouches. You’ll find Forthglade in most UK supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Asda), on Amazon, and in independent pet shops. No subscription required. Pick up a pack when you need one. That flexibility alone makes it appealing to a lot of dog owners who don’t want to be tied into a monthly direct debit.
Forthglade’s range covers adult dogs, puppies, and seniors. They do grain-free lines, sensitive stomach recipes, and a “just meat” range that’s exactly what it sounds like. Their recipes typically contain 70-90% meat, depending on the line, with vegetables, vitamins, and minerals making up the rest. The “just chicken” recipe, for example, is 90% chicken with added minerals and nothing else.
The brand has built a solid reputation for being one of the better supermarket-available wet foods. It’s not premium in the way that raw or fresh-cooked food is, but it’s a clear step up from the really cheap stuff. Dogs seem to enjoy it, and the ingredient lists are refreshingly short.
According to the [All About Dog Food](https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/) ingredient database, Forthglade consistently scores well for using named meats and avoiding artificial additives. That matters more than most people realise. A lot of cheaper wet foods use “meat and animal derivatives” as the first ingredient, which could mean almost anything.
Forthglade has also expanded into dry food in recent years. Their dry range uses similar principles (named meat, no artificial additives) but competes in a more crowded market. For this comparison, I’m focusing on their wet food, which is what the brand is best known for.
## Who is Butternut Box?
Butternut Box launched in 2016 by a couple of dog owners who were frustrated with the quality of food available in shops. The company grew fast. Really fast. They now feed hundreds of thousands of dogs across the UK through a subscription model, and they’ve attracted serious investment along the way.
The concept is simple. You enter your dog’s details on their website (breed, weight, age, activity level). They calculate a portion size and deliver pre-portioned meals to your door in insulated packaging. The food is gently cooked at low temperatures, sealed, and chilled. You keep it in the fridge and tear open a pouch at each mealtime.
Butternut Box recipes contain around 60% meat (named cuts like chicken breast, beef, lamb, duck), plus sweet potato, carrots, peas, and various supplements. Every recipe is grain-free. Nothing artificial. No preservatives beyond the natural ones formed during the cooking process.
The big selling point is convenience. You don’t weigh portions. You don’t guess. The right amount turns up, and your dog eats it. For owners who hate faffing with scoops and scales, that’s genuinely useful. The food also smells more like real cooked meat than standard wet food does, which means most dogs go absolutely mad for it.
Butternut Box also offers a two-week trial for about £1 per meal. It’s a popular introductory offer, and it means you can test whether your dog actually likes the food before committing to a subscription. The trial usually covers 14 days’ worth of food and arrives in a well-presented box with feeding instructions.
If you’ve already looked at other fresh food subscriptions, our Butternut Box vs Tails.com comparison covers how Butternut Box stacks up against the biggest name in personalised dog food. And if you want to compare it with another premium fresh option, our Butternut Box vs Different Dog article goes into that in detail.
## The big difference: wet food vs fresh food
Before comparing ingredients and prices, you need to understand the fundamental difference here. Forthglade and Butternut Box aren’t really competitors in the traditional sense. They occupy different categories entirely, and comparing them directly is a bit like comparing a ready meal from M&S to a meal kit delivery service. Both feed you. Both can be perfectly good. But the experience and the economics are totally different.
Forthglade makes wet dog food. The meat and vegetables are mixed, sealed in trays or pouches, and cooked at high temperature during the manufacturing process. This is standard commercial wet food production. The cooking process sterilises the food, which is why trays can sit on a shelf for months without refrigeration. You open one when you need it, serve it, and put the remainder in the fridge for the next meal.
Butternut Box makes fresh dog food. The ingredients are gently cooked at lower temperatures, then vacuum-sealed and shipped chilled. The food has a much shorter shelf life (around 7-10 days in the fridge, or up to 6 months in the freezer). The lower cooking temperature is designed to preserve more of the natural nutrients in the ingredients. You need to plan ahead with storage and make sure you’re using each pouch before it goes off.
Think of it like the difference between a tin of soup and fresh soup from the chilled section of the supermarket. Both are soup. But one is designed for convenience and long storage, while the other is designed for freshness and higher nutritional quality.
That doesn’t automatically make fresh food “better” for every dog. It depends on your budget, your dog’s needs, and how much effort you want to put into feeding. Some dogs thrive on wet food from trays. Others do noticeably better on fresh food. There’s no universal right answer here.
The [PDSA](https://www.pdsa.org.uk/) takes the position that both wet and fresh food can form part of a balanced diet, as long as they meet [FEDIAF](https://www.fediaf.org/) nutritional standards. Both Forthglade and Butternut Box do meet those standards.
## Ingredient comparison
Here’s where things get interesting.
### Forthglade ingredients
Looking at Forthglade’s Chicken with Vegetables recipe (one of their most popular):
Chicken (65%), chicken liver, potatoes, carrots, peas, minerals, linseed.
That’s a clean label. Named meat at the top, specific vegetables, no vague “meat and animal derivatives.” The chicken liver is a particularly good inclusion because it’s packed with vitamin A, iron, and B vitamins. Dogs love the taste too.
Their grain-free line swaps the potatoes for sweet potato. Their “just” range strips it back even further: Chicken (90%), chicken liver, minerals. That’s about as simple as commercial wet food gets.
Forthglade doesn’t add artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives. They don’t use added sugar (a problem with cheaper wet foods). The ingredient lists are short and readable. If you handed a Forthglade tray to someone who’d never read a dog food label before, they’d be able to understand what’s in it without any help.
The main limitation is the cooking process. High-temperature processing reduces some of the natural vitamin content, which is why Forthglade adds synthetic vitamins and minerals back in. That’s standard practice for all commercial wet foods and perfectly safe, but it’s worth knowing. The food is nutritionally complete, but some of the vitamins are added rather than naturally occurring.
### Butternut Box ingredients
Looking at Butternut Box’s Chicken recipe:
Fresh chicken (33%), chicken breast (27%), sweet potato, peas, carrots, chicken liver, salmon oil, seaweed, vitamins, and minerals.
Total meat content is around 60% (named cuts, no derivatives or meal). The fact that they specify “fresh chicken” and “chicken breast” separately tells you they’re using identifiable cuts of meat, not rendered meals or by-products.
Butternut Box also lists specific vitamin supplements: vitamin A, D3, E, B12, zinc, iron, manganese, copper, and iodine. The seaweed is included as a natural source of iodine and trace minerals, which is a thoughtful touch.
The salmon oil provides omega-3 fatty acids, which support skin, coat, and joint health. Most wet foods don’t include an explicit omega-3 source, so this gives Butternut Box an edge for dogs with dry skin or inflammatory conditions.
The ingredient quality is excellent. Fresh, named meats. Real vegetables. No fillers. No grains. No artificial anything. You can see the difference when you open a pouch. The food looks like actual cooked meat and vegetables, not processed brown mush.
The lower-temperature cooking process means fewer synthetic supplements are needed compared with high-heat processed food, though Butternut Box still adds some vitamins and minerals to ensure complete nutrition. The [British Veterinary Association](https://www.bva-ew.co.uk/) recommends that all dog foods meet FEDIAF standards regardless of the manufacturing method, and Butternut Box complies.
### Head to head
Both brands use named meats. Both avoid artificial additives. Both list specific vegetables rather than vague “cereal derivatives” or “vegetable by-products.”
Butternut Box edges ahead on ingredient quality because of the fresh meat content and lower-temperature cooking. The inclusion of salmon oil and seaweed as natural supplements is a nice bonus that most tray-based wet foods don’t offer. The food smells, looks, and feels more like something you’d eat yourself.
But the gap is smaller than the price difference would suggest. Forthglade’s ingredients, especially in the “just” range, are genuinely good for the price. A 90% chicken tray with added minerals is hard to argue with, whatever the cooking method.
## Nutritional comparison
Here’s a quick side-by-side of typical values:
| Nutrient | Forthglade Chicken | Butternut Box Chicken |
|———-|——————-|———————-|
| Protein | 9% | 10% |
| Fat | 5.5% | 6.5% |
| Fibre | 1% | 0.5% |
| Moisture | 78% | 72% |
| Ash | 2.5% | 2% |
| Carbohydrate | ~4% | ~8.5% |
A few things stand out.
Butternut Box has slightly higher protein and fat, and lower moisture. That makes sense because fresh food contains less water than tray-based wet food. It’s denser nutritionally, which means your dog needs to eat less volume to get the same calories.
Forthglade’s moisture content (78%) is typical for wet food in trays. Butternut Box’s moisture (72%) is somewhere between standard wet food and raw. Neither is “better” on its own, but the higher moisture content of Forthglade does contribute to your dog’s daily water intake, which can be useful for dogs that don’t drink much from their bowl.
Forthglade has lower carbohydrate content (around 4% vs 8.5% for Butternut Box). The sweet potato in Butternut Box contributes meaningful carbs. Some owners prefer lower-carb food, especially for dogs that are overweight or diabetic, though the absolute carb levels in both are very low compared with dry kibble.
Both foods fall within the [FEDIAF nutritional guidelines](https://www.fediaf.org/images/FEDIAF_Nutritional_Guidelines_2021_Update.pdf) for adult dogs. The protein and fat levels are appropriate for most adult dogs, though very active or working dogs might need something higher in protein.
## Price comparison
This is where the two brands diverge significantly.
### Forthglade pricing
Forthglade trays (395g) typically cost between £1.20 and £1.60 each depending on where you buy them and whether you buy multipacks. A box of 12 trays usually costs around £15-18.
For a medium dog (15kg) eating 1.5 trays per day, that works out to roughly:
– Per day: £1.80-£2.40
– Per month: £54-£72
That puts Forthglade firmly in the mid-range for wet food. It’s more expensive than Butcher’s or Winalot, but cheaper than Lily’s Kitchen or Naturediet. For the ingredient quality you’re getting, I think it’s reasonable value. Our best wet dog food under £10 guide ranks Forthglade highly on the value-for-money scale.
You can often find Forthglade on offer at supermarkets or on Amazon UK, which brings the price down further. Subscribe and Save on Amazon can knock 5-15% off the listed price.
### Butternut Box pricing
Butternut Box prices depend on your dog’s weight, age, and activity level. The website generates a personalised quote when you enter your dog’s details.
For a typical medium dog (15kg), expect to pay:
– Per day: £2.50-£3.50
– Per month: £75-£105
Butternut Box often runs introductory offers (2 weeks for around £20-30), and they sometimes discount the first month of a subscription. But the ongoing cost is high. For large dogs (30kg+), monthly costs can exceed £150.
A 12kg box of Butternut Box (roughly a week’s food for a medium dog) costs around £25-30. That’s about £3.50-£4.30 per day. Compared with Forthglade at £1.80-£2.40 per day, you’re paying roughly 50-80% more.
That places Butternut Box in the premium-to-luxury bracket. It costs roughly 50-100% more than Forthglade, depending on your dog’s size. If you’re feeding two dogs, you’re potentially looking at £150-200 per month on food alone.
### Is the extra cost worth it?
Honestly, for most dogs, probably not.
If your dog is healthy, active, and doing well on a decent wet food like Forthglade, jumping to Butternut Box is a luxury rather than a necessity. The nutritional difference is real but modest. You’re mostly paying for convenience (pre-portioned meals, delivered to your door) and the appeal of fresh-cooked food.
There are diminishing returns in dog food spending, and this is a prime example. Our cheap vs premium dog food guide explores this question in more depth across multiple brands and price points. The jump from £50/month to £100/month on food doesn’t give you double the nutrition.
Where Butternut Box makes more sense:
– Your dog has a sensitive stomach and struggles with processed food
– Your dog is a fussy eater and refuses most wet foods
– You want the convenience of pre-portioned, delivered meals
– Budget isn’t a major concern
– You have a small dog (the monthly cost is more manageable at smaller sizes)
Where Forthglade makes more sense:
– You want decent-quality natural food without the premium price tag
– You prefer buying food as needed rather than committing to a subscription
– Your dog is happy on standard wet food
– You’re feeding multiple dogs (the cost difference multiplies fast)
– You don’t want to worry about fridge space or use-by dates
## Which is better for specific needs?
### For puppies
Butternut Box has a specific puppy recipe that’s formulated for growing dogs. The portion sizes adjust automatically based on your puppy’s age and expected adult weight. That’s handy because puppies need different nutrition at different stages, and getting the portions wrong during growth can cause problems.
Forthglade also makes a puppy recipe (Chicken with Vegetables for Puppies). It’s good quality, though you’ll need to check the feeding guidelines on the pack and adjust as your puppy grows. You’ll also need to transition from puppy food to adult food at the right time, usually around 12 months for most breeds.
Either works. Butternut Box wins on convenience for puppy owners (auto-adjusting portions), but Forthglade wins on cost. Puppies eat a surprising amount relative to their size, so the monthly feeding cost with Butternut Box can creep up quickly.
### For senior dogs
Forthglade has a dedicated senior recipe with adjusted protein and fat levels, plus added joint-support ingredients like glucosamine. It’s well thought out for older dogs that are slowing down and might be gaining weight.
Butternut Box doesn’t have a specific senior recipe. You’d feed their standard adult recipes, and the portion calculator accounts for your dog’s age. Some older dogs might do well on this, but dogs with specific age-related health conditions might benefit from a purpose-formulated senior food.
### For sensitive stomachs
Both brands are decent options for dogs with sensitive digestion.
Forthglade’s grain-free recipes and limited-ingredient “just” range are good starting points. Their recipes are simple and avoid common allergens like wheat, soya, and dairy. The short ingredient lists make it easier to identify what might be causing a reaction. We cover more options in our best dog food for sensitive stomach guide.
Butternut Box’s fresh-cooked, grain-free recipes are also gentle on digestion. Many owners report improvements in their dog’s stool quality after switching. The lower processing temperature may make the food easier to digest for some dogs, as the protein structures are less altered by heat.
If your dog has a confirmed food allergy, both brands offer single-protein options that can help with elimination diets. The [BVA](https://www.bva-ew.co.uk/) recommends working with your vet on an elimination diet, rather than trying to manage it entirely alone.
### For fussy eaters
Butternut Box probably wins this one. The food smells more like real cooking, and the texture is closer to what humans eat. Most dogs go absolutely daft for it when they first try it. If your dog has been turning their nose up at everything else, Butternut Box is a strong bet.
Forthglade is palatable enough for most dogs, but it doesn’t have the same “wow factor” that fresh food delivers. The chunks of meat in the tray are recognisable, but they’re still cooked at high temperature and sealed in a plastic tray, which doesn’t quite compare with tearing open a pouch of fresh food.
## Which brand should you pick?
If budget matters and you want genuinely good wet food that you can grab from the supermarket, Forthglade is the clear choice. The ingredients are honest, the range is broad, and the price is fair. It’s one of the best widely-available wet foods in the UK.
If money is less of a concern and you want the convenience of pre-portioned fresh food delivered to your door, Butternut Box is hard to beat on the experience. Your dog will probably love it, and the ingredient quality is excellent.
For most UK dog owners, I’d suggest starting with Forthglade. If your dog does well on it, great. You’re spending a sensible amount on good food. If you’re curious about fresh food, grab a Butternut Box trial and see if you notice a difference. Some dogs do genuinely thrive on fresh food. Others are perfectly happy with a quality wet food from a tray.
Neither choice is wrong. They’re just different products for different priorities.
Check out our best dog food UK 2026 guide if you want to see how both brands compare against the wider market.
## Frequently asked questions
### Is Forthglade better than Butternut Box?
It depends what you mean by “better.” Forthglade uses high-quality ingredients and costs around half the price. Butternut Box uses fresh-cooked ingredients and delivers pre-portioned meals. Butternut Box has a slight edge on ingredient quality and convenience, but Forthglade is far better value. For most dogs, Forthglade is the more practical choice.
### Can I mix Forthglade and Butternut Box?
Yes, you can. Some owners use Butternut Box as a topper over Forthglade to add freshness without the full subscription cost. If you do this, reduce the amount of each to avoid overfeeding. Watch your dog’s weight and adjust accordingly. Mixing two different types of food can sometimes cause mild digestive upset at first, so introduce the combination gradually.
### Is Butternut Box worth the money?
For most dogs, the answer is probably no. Butternut Box is expensive, and the nutritional upgrade over a good wet food like Forthglade is modest. But if your dog has a sensitive stomach, is a very fussy eater, or you value the delivery convenience highly, it can be worth it. The trial offer is worth taking advantage of regardless, just to see your dog’s reaction.
### Where is Forthglade made?
All Forthglade food is made in the UK. The company is based in Devon and has been producing dog food there since 1971. They don’t manufacture overseas, and they source their ingredients from UK and European suppliers.
### How do I switch from Forthglade to Butternut Box?
Transition over 7-10 days. Start by replacing about 25% of your dog’s Forthglade with Butternut Box on day 1, then gradually increase the proportion of Butternut Box while reducing the Forthglade. Going cold turkey can cause stomach upset, especially with the change from shelf-stable to fresh food. Take it slow and watch for any signs of loose stool or vomiting.
Sources: [FEDIAF](https://www.fediaf.org/), [PDSA](https://www.pdsa.org.uk/), [BVA](https://www.bva-ew.co.uk/), [All About Dog Food](https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/), Amazon UK
## What about the environmental impact?
If sustainability matters to you, there’s a meaningful difference between these two brands.
Forthglade comes in plastic trays (usually recyclable, but check your local council’s rules). The trays are sealed with a foil lid. There’s no insulated packaging, no cold chain logistics, no refrigeration needed. The carbon footprint per meal is relatively low for a meat-based product.
Butternut Box requires insulated packaging (often wool-based, which is compostable, or foil bubble wrap, which isn’t). The food needs to be kept chilled from the factory to your door, which requires energy-intensive refrigerated transport. The pouches themselves aren’t currently recyclable through most UK council collections. Each meal generates more packaging waste than a Forthglade tray.
Butternut Box has made efforts to improve their sustainability. They’ve moved towards compostable insulation and offer a pouch return scheme in some areas. But the fundamental logistics of delivering chilled fresh food across the UK are always going to have a higher carbon footprint than shelf-stable trays manufactured in bulk.
If you’re trying to reduce your dog’s environmental paw print, Forthglade is the greener option by a decent margin.
## What do real dog owners say?
Customer feedback for both brands is generally positive, but there are some consistent themes.
Forthglade owners tend to praise:
– The consistent quality over many years
– How easy it is to find in shops
– The fact that their dogs actually eat it (sounds obvious, but not all wet foods pass this test)
– The grain-free and “just” ranges for dogs with sensitivities
Forthglade complaints usually focus on:
– Some dogs get bored of the same flavours after a while
– The trays can be awkward to open without splashing
– Occasional quality issues (dented trays, inconsistent texture between batches)
Butternut Box owners tend to praise:
– How much their dogs love the food (almost universal)
– The convenience of pre-portioned, delivered meals
– Improvements in coat condition and energy levels after switching
– The trial offer as a risk-free way to try
Butternut Box complaints usually focus on:
– The high ongoing cost, especially for larger dogs
– Delivery issues (missed deliveries, damaged packaging)
– The subscription model being hard to pause or adjust
– Some dogs experiencing loose stool during the transition period
Neither brand generates the volume of complaints that cheaper brands do. Both have a solid reputation among UK dog owners. The main difference in feedback is that Butternut Box owners tend to be more enthusiastic about the food itself, while Forthglade owners appreciate the practicality and value.