Best Dry Dog Foods UK 2026 : Tested & Reviewed on Real Dogs

6 days ago

15 min read

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Choosing the best dry dog food has never been harder. Supermarket shelves are packed with grain free kibble, cold pressed recipes, high meat formulas and veterinary diets, all claiming to be the healthiest option.

As more and more of us are scrutinising our dog's food, prioritising their health and wellbeing, we're looking for the best dog food we can afford.

Unfortunately choosing the best dog food is not as straightforward as most of us would like.

Dog eats from a blue paw-print bowl on a wood kitchen floor, with kibble scattered around. — photograph : smart bark

"There is no one size fits all when it comes to dog food. The best choice depends on your dog's age, activity levels, health needs and your household budget. Understanding exactly what goes into a food helps owners make informed decisions about what is right for their pet."

Dr Lauren Davis MRCVS, Veterinary Surgeon and Founder of VetRelieve

This year we have widened this guide beyond cold pressed to cover every kind of dry food, from raw-style pellets to grain-free superfood kibble and vet-recommended favourites. Five brands made the cut: Forthglade, Wild Pet Food, Pooch & Mutt, Walker & Drake and Hill's Science Plan.

🐾 How Smart Bark Tested

Every food on this page has been bought, poured, sniffed, served and scored on real dogs.

Our Dry Food Test
🥣 Foods Tested	15 UK dry dog foods
🐶 Dogs	Freddie plus 4 guest testers
📆 Time on test	spanning 4 years
🍽️ Meals fed	420+
⚖️ We scored every food on	Taste, digestibility, stool quality, kibble size, packaging, value and ingredient clarity. We were not paid to include any brand.

Dog watches kibble and dog food bags on a kitchen counter beside a pen, dog food testing forms, and a Hill's Science Plan bag.

Curious how we test dog food? See our full testing and review methodology

⏰ UPDATED OCTOBER 2026: We've updated this review to include details of the Pooch & Mutt trial offer £14 for 14 days

Table of Contents

What Makes a Good Dry Dog Food?

Dry food wins on convenience, cost and storage. But not all kibble is created equal, and the gap between the best and the rest is bigger than the price tag suggests. Here is what we look for.

Transparent ingredients

The label should tell you exactly what is inside and where the protein comes from. Named meats like chicken, lamb or duck beat vague terms like "meat and animal derivatives" every time.

Meat first, meat proper

Dogs thrive on animal protein. When a named meat leads the ingredient list, you know the food is built on the good stuff rather than bulked out with cheap fillers.

"When meat is the first ingredient listed it shows the food contains a high amount of animal protein, which is important for dogs to maintain good health." Dr Lauren Davis MRCVS

The right food for the right dog

An active working dog wants more protein than a snoozy sofa companion. Age, breed size, allergies and health conditions all steer the choice. If in doubt, your vet or vet nurse is the best guide.

Taste, because a full bowl beats a fancy label

"The most nutritionally balanced food in the world is of little use if your dog refuses to eat it." Dr Lauren Davis MRCVS

That is exactly why we feed every food to real dogs rather than trusting the lab sheet alone.

The best food you can afford, fed consistently

Priciest does not always mean best. Pick a quality food that fits your budget and stick with it, because chopping and changing upsets more tummies than it settles.

Cold pressed, kibble or superfood?

The dry food types explained

Not all "dry" food is the same, and knowing the difference makes choosing far easier.

Cold pressed is pressed at low temperatures, so it keeps more of its natural nutrients and tends to be gentler on sensitive stomachs. Three of our five picks (Forthglade, Wild Pet Food and Walker & Drake) are cold pressed, grain free and hypoallergenic, with no junk or cheap fillers.

best cold pressed dog foods in the UK — photograph : smart bark

Grain-free superfood kibble (Pooch & Mutt) is a lightly processed complete kibble that swaps grains for gut-friendly veg, prebiotics and omega oils. Great value, widely stocked and easy to feed.

Vet-recommended mainstream (Hill's Science Plan) is precision-formulated, clinically backed nutrition, the sort your vet is most likely to name. Not grain free, but consistent, digestible and trusted for a reason.

Best Dry Dog Foods at a Glance

Brand	Best For	Type	AADF Rating	Daily Cost (15kg dog)
Forthglade	Best overall (dry & wet range)	Cold pressed	73-75%	£1.38 (£1.24 on subscription)
Wild Pet Food	High Meat Content	Cold pressed	89%	£1.49 (£1.35 on subscription)
Pooch & Mutt	Grain-free superfood kibble	Grain-free kibble	66%	£1.26 (£0.94 on subscription)
Walker & Drake	Small breeds	Cold pressed	83%	£1.45 (£1.30 on subscription)
Hill's Science Plan	Vet-recommended	Extruded kibble	43% for adult dog aged 1-6 medium size	£0.86 (Pets at Home)

Nutritional ratings from All About Dog Food - Independent website. Daily costs based on a 15kg dog on moderate activity. Bigger bags bring the price down.

Our Top Picks, Tested and Reviewed

🥇 Best Overall: Forthglade

Smart Bark Tested Score : ★★★★★ 5/5

Why we chose it: the sweet spot of quality, price and range. Better than most dry foods nutritionally, cheaper than fresh or raw dog food, and backed by 50 years of pet nutrition know-how. So Forthglade cold pressed quietly sits in a spot very few brands occupy.

Forthglade turkey dog food bag beside a yellow kibble bowl, with a curly dog outdoors on a sunny patio. — photograph : smart bark

Reasons to buy

✅ Grain and gluten free

✅ Widest range of sizes, 2kg to 20kg

✅ Award-winning recipes

✅ Widest range of wet food toppers

Reasons to avoid

❎ No sample pack available

The Essentials:

⭐️ Cold pressed and Lightly Baked dry, plus wet food, treats and dental sticks

⭐️ Recipes in turkey, duck, chicken and salmon

⭐️ Label clarity: excellent, full ingredient percentages

⭐️ £1.38 a day (15kg dog, moderate activity, 12kg bag)

Top of our dry picks for 2026, Forthglade has over 50 years in pet nutrition and an ever-growing range. Their cold pressed dry range was recently Highly Commended by Your Dog Magazine, an award voted for by dog lovers themselves.

Curly tan dog eats kibble from a metal bowl on a wooden feeder beside an empty water bowl. — photograph : smart bark

For ingredient-savvy owners, the first and main ingredient is meat, and the scores show it. The All About Dog Food website (AADF) rates Forthglade 73 to 75%, exceptionally high for a dry food. Set that against roughly 57 to 69% for popular high-street names like Harringtons, James Wellbeloved, Wainwright's and Lily's Kitchen, and Forthglade's lead looks less like a nose in front and more like a full length clear.

Four cold pressed recipes cover all life stages, from puppy to senior:

🐓 Chicken (17.5% fresh & 15% dried)

🦆 Duck (17.5% fresh & 15% dried)

🦃 Turkey (17.5% fresh & 15% dried)

🐟 Salmon (16% fresh & 13% dried)

How did it test? Otis the Labrador tucked in with gusto! He found the pellets a decent, chunky 9mm and satisfyingly crunchy - perfect for a big lad who loves a proper mouthful. Got a smaller pup? No problem, there's a turkey recipe with dinky pellets, ideal for little mouths and puppy chompers.

Black dog leans over two white bowls of kibble on a beige floor, sniffing the food. — photograph : smart bark

We loved the handy packaging window that lets you eye up the kibble size before buying, and the durable velcro reseal strip kept big bags fresher than any other food on test. The range of sizes seals it: start with a 2kg 'try-it' bag, then trade up to a money-saving 20kg once your dog is hooked.

Hands holding pieces of dog kibble with Forthglade packaging in the background — photograph : forthglade

Prefer a slightly cheaper option?

Forthglade's Lightly Baked range boasts 50% single-source protein and a respectable 67% AADF rating.

And for picky pups, their wide range of complete and complementary wet foods (voted Best Wet Food 2026 by Your Dog Magazine readers, at 75% meat) make a tempting topper.

Our verdict: Forthglade's cold pressed, lightly baked and wet range is a genuine one-stop-shop, a high-quality, nutritious diet at a fair price. It is the dry food we would happily feed Freddie every day.

Want the full picture? Read our complete Forthglade Review 2026.

New customers save 40% with code SBFG40

Existing customers save 15% with code SBFG15

View Forthglade

🥩 Best High-meat, Raw Alternative: Wild Pet Food

Smart Bark Tested Score : ★★★★★ 5/5

Why we chose it: all the punch of raw, none of the mess. A UK-made 80/20 cold pressed food scoring a remarkable 89% on AADF.

Wild Pet Food alternative to Wolfworthy — photograph : smart bark

Reasons to buy

✅ Raw-food benefits, scoop-and-serve ease

✅ 80% meat, high quality ingredients

✅ Extensive protein range

✅ Grain free and allergy friendly

✅ Made in the UK

Reasons to avoid

❎ Online only, no High Street option

The essentials:

⭐️ 80/20 cold pressed (80% meat, 20% fruit and veg)

⭐️ 7 meat and fish recipes

⭐️ Label clarity: excellent, full percentages

⭐️ £1.49 a day (15kg dog)

Orijen and Carnilove dominate the high-protein conversation globally, but both are imported (Orijen from Canada, Carnilove from the Czech Republic).

Wild Pet Food is the home-grown alternative, cold pressed from British proteins. For buyers who care about provenance as much as protein, it is the obvious UK contender.

Wild Pet Food range of dog food recipes — photograph : smart bark

Raw feeding is all the rage, and for good reason, but raw meat is messy and it does not suit every household.

Wild takes fresh, raw ingredients, dehydrates them, then cold presses them into digestible pellets, delivering the benefits of raw without the fuss. Packed with 80% meat and 20% fruit, veg and superfoods, all sustainably sourced in the UK.

We rate it nutritionally above more established high-meat names like Eden (70% on AADF), Akela (72%), Carnilove (67-69%) and Orijen (70%).

Dog eating Wild Pet Food — photograph : smart bark

Seven recipes suit all ages and sizes:

⭐️ Beef

⭐️ Chicken

⭐️ Fish

⭐️ Surf and Turf

⭐️ Duck

⭐️ Rabbit (lean, low purine)

⭐️ Herring (omega rich)

All Wild's recipes are 100% grain, gluten and legume free, so kind to sensitive stomachs.

Cleverly, Wild lists percentages on the dehydrated weight, cutting through the marketing jargon and giving you the real deal, a true alternative to a raw BARF diet.

We also wanted to mention that Wild Pet Food have recently launched a complementary Fresh Frozen 80:20 range.

Each recipe packs an impressive 80% meat alongside a 20% superfood blend of fruits, veg and goodness. The freshly frozen format locks in those all-important nutrients, scoring a stellar 95% on AADF's nutritional ratings.

How did it test? Our picky pup woofed it down, empty bowl every time. When Freddie first tried it, he liked the smaller kibble pieces as they suit small mouths as well as big ones.

For raw-fed dogs it is a travel game changer, no cold storage required. With a 4.4/5 Trustpilot score and over a million meals delivered, we are far from the only fans.

Our verdict: For true raw nutrition without the raw handling headache, Wild Pet Food delivers the goods. Start with the 2.5kg bag, then build your own bundle once your dog is sold.

For 15% OFF Wild Pet Food

use our exclusive discount code SMART15 at checkout

View Wild Pet Food

Thinking about switching to Wild? Read our in-depth Wild Pet Food Review for our full testing results

🌱 Best Grain-free superfood kibble: Pooch & Mutt

Smart Bark Tested Score : ★★★★☆ 4/5

Why we chose it: proper grain-free nutrition at a proper everyday price. A lightly processed superfood kibble that is easy to buy, easy to feed and kind to fussy tummies, with a wider range behind it than almost any brand here.

Curly brown puppy eats from a dog bowl on a tray beside a Pooch & Mutt bag, with scattered kibble and blurred green leaves.

Reasons to buy

✅ Grain, cereal and gluten free

✅ No wheat, corn, rice, beef, soya or dairy

✅ Superfood blend with omega-3 and prebiotics

✅ Five ranges covering vitality, wellbeing, high meat, fresh and prescription needs

✅ Widely stocked and keenly priced

Reasons to avoid

❎ Extruded kibble, so a lower AADF score than cold pressed

The essentials:

⭐️ Complete grain-free superfood kibble, plus four sister ranges (below)

⭐️ Superfood recipes cover Puppy, Adult, Small Dog (Adult Minis) and Senior

⭐️ Label clarity: excellent, full ingredient percentages

⭐️ AADF rating around 66%

⭐️ Daily cost: £1.26 (15kg dog)

Pooch & Mutt dog food and treats bags on a kitchen table, with kibble and dental sticks, in a bright home setting.

Not everyone wants cold pressed, and not every budget stretches to it. That is exactly where Pooch & Mutt earns its spot. This is a well-known, grain-free kibble that keeps things natural: no wheat, corn, rice, beef, soya or dairy, and no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. In their place sit easily digestible proteins, healthy fats, omega-3s and a rainbow of antioxidant-rich, dog-safe fruit and veg.

Our hero is the Superfood kibble, and the reason is simple: it covers every stage of life on one trusted grain-free recipe.

🐶 Puppy Superfood: grain free and nutrient rich for growing pups

🦴 Adult Superfood: the everyday all-rounder

🐕 Small Dog / Adult Minis: smaller kibble for smaller mouths

👴 Senior Superfood: gentler recipe for older dogs

That full-lifecycle line-up means you can keep your dog on one trusted brand from puppy to pensioner, a real plus for sensitive dogs who do not love change.

But there is more to Pooch & Mutt than the Superfood range. One thing that surprised us is the extent of their range. There is a fit for almost every dog and every need:

🌱 Superfoods (our pick): everyday grain-free kibble for feel-good vitality at any life stage. Best for most healthy dogs whose owners want natural, functional nutrition on a sensible budget.

💛 Wellbeing: the "needs a little boost" collection of wet and dry foods, dental sticks, treats and chews across puppy, adult and senior. Best for dogs who need everyday, targeted nutritional support.

🐺 Primal: the "wolfy" high-meat line at up to 80% protein, built on novel meats like wild boar, ostrich, lamb and venison and boosted with turmeric and spirulina. Best for active, muscular or high-drive dogs, and a grain-free rival to the high-meat foods above.

🍲 Fresh: freshly prepared food for the fussy ones. Best for picky eaters who turn their nose up at plain kibble.

🩺 Veterinary: vet-developed prescription diets targeting Sensitivity, Gastrointestinal, Renal and Hepatic needs. Best for dogs managing a diagnosed health condition, fed on your vet's advice.

How did it test? We found ourselves very impressed with the Adult range. With sweet potato & pumpkin which are rich in fibre to keep those stools solid, it also incorporated salmon oil and glucosamine which are well known to help joints as dogs age.

Extremely palatable but we loved that you could add a Pooch & Mutt wet food as a topper which would work well for super picky pups. Freddie finished the bowl and whilst it did have a slight smell it wasn't overpowering like some dog foods.

Our verdict: The smart pick for owners who want honest, grain-free ingredients and a range for every need, from puppy to prescription, without the premium price tag.

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View on Pooch & Mutt

If you've been curious but cautious, this is the low-risk way in. Pick 14 days of delicious food, for just £14. Choose Primal or Calm & Relaxed Dry Food, plus get a Wet Food Variety Pack to discover their favourites with code 14FOR14. In our testing, a full bag is far more telling than a titchy sample, giving you enough to see how your dog takes to it, gently on the pocket and the tummy. Happy taste testing!

View Pooch & Mutt For Just £1 A Day

Pair your kibble with a quality topper from our best wet dog food UK round-up for fussy eaters.

🐕 Best for Small Breeds: Walker & Drake

Smart Bark Tested Score : ★★★★☆ 4/5

Why we chose it: A highly rated cold pressed food on AADF (83%), with smaller kibble specifically designed for smaller mouths.

Walker & Drake cold pressed dog food — photograph : smart bark

Reasons to buy

✅ Grain and gluten free

✅ Made in the UK

✅ Award-winning small breed food

✅ High rating on AADF

✅ Sample pack available

Reasons to avoid

❎ No loyalty programme

The Essentials:

⭐️ Cold pressed, wet food, treats, salmon oil.

⭐️ Varieties for adult, small breed, small bite, puppy and working dog.

⭐️ Label clarity: ok, percentages available online.

⭐️ £1.45 a day (15kg dog, moderate activity, 10kg bag)

Multi-award-winning Walker & Drake caught our eye with their Turkey and Duck, dual protein cold pressed food. They use dried proteins in the cold pressing, which avoids the moisture loss that can drag down the final protein percentage.

Dual protein cold pressed dog food by Walker & Drake — photograph : walker & drake

Walker & Drake offer four core recipes across all life stages (Chicken, Ocean Fish, Duck and dual-protein Turkey & Duck), plus dedicated Small Breed, Small Bite, Puppy and Working ranges.

How did it test? We think that the star of the show is their small dog offer.

Little dogs often get a raw deal on food, so we loved that Walker & Drake designed genuinely smaller pellets, Small Bite at 5mm versus the standard 7mm, plus an energy-boosting Small Breed turkey and rice recipe.

We also love their £2.99 sample pack (free delivery) which lets you try their food before you commit. No one wants 15kg of uneaten dog food!

Our verdict: for small breeds, the reduced pellet size is a game changer. Add an AADF-topping score and a proper sample pack, and it is our clear small-dog champion.

Confused by the label? Our plain-English guide decodes it: How to Read Dog Food Labels.

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🩺 Best Vet-recommended: Hill's Science Plan

Smart Bark Tested Score : ★★★★☆ 4/5

Why we chose it: the dry food your vet is most likely to name. Precision-formulated, clinically backed and reliably digestible, the safe pair of hands on our list.

Curly tan dog eats from a bowl on a wood floor beside a Hill’s Science Plan dog food bag indoors. — photograph : smart bark

Reasons to buy

✅ Among the highest vet-recommendation rates of any UK brand

✅ Clinically validated recipes (Perfect Weight loss data)

✅ Targeted recipes by size, life stage and health need

✅ Available online and in store

Reasons to avoid

❎ Not grain free (uses rice and maize)

❎ Lower AADF scores than the other foods here

The essentials:

⭐️ Extruded dry

⭐️ Prescription Diet (clinical, vet-directed)

⭐️ Standout recipes include Perfect Weight and Sensitive Stomach & Skin

⭐️ In small, medium and large breed and life-stage formats

⭐️ AADF rating: varies widely by recipe

⭐️ Daily cost: 86p for a 15kg dog

Pet store shelves stacked with Hill’s Science Plan dog food bags and cans, showing various dog breeds and colorful labels. — photograph : smart bark

Hill's is the odd one out on our list, and deliberately so. It is not cold pressed and it is not grain free, but it is the brand vets reach for more than almost any other, and that trust is earned.

Hill's is first and foremost a veterinary nutrition company that happens to make mainstream food, rather than a mainstream brand dabbling in clinical products.

What you're really paying for with Hill's is precision. Rather than one recipe for all, they match the food to the dog: sized for small, mini, medium or large breeds, tuned for puppy, adult or mature, and targeted for specific needs like weight control or sensitive tummies. Highly digestible and energy dense, so you feed a little less, and precise enough that vets reach for it first.

Perfect Weight is the headline act, one of the few foods carrying independently clinically validated weight-loss data (in a Hill's study, 70% of dogs lost weight within 10 weeks without calorie counting).

Sensitive Stomach & Skin pairs chicken with egg and elevated omega-6 to support the skin barrier, making it a genuine option for dogs whose tummies rebel at richer foods.

A quick honesty note for ingredient-savvy readers: Hill's leans on named grains like rice and maize, so it will not top the AADF charts the way cold pressed does. What you are buying is precision, digestibility and clinical backing rather than a headline meat percentage.

How did it test? Unlike the cold pressed foods on test, Hill's looked and smelled exactly like the sort of premium kibble most owners will recognise. Freddie tucked into it happily from day one and had no digestive issues during testing.

We also liked that Hill's changes the kibble size across its Small, Medium and Large Breed ranges rather than simply putting the same food into different bags. The small breed kibble measured around 7.5mm, while the large breed version was closer to 17.5mm, encouraging bigger dogs to chew rather than gulp.

Our verdict: If you want a food your vet would nod at, backed by clinical data and rock-solid consistency, Hill's Science Plan is the reassuring choice, especially for weight management and sensitive stomachs.

View Hill's Science Plan at Pets at Home

Vet's Verdict

The single biggest mistake owners make when buying dry food?

"It's really important to consider your lifestyle and budget. Choosing a food that is sustainable for you to give your dog is better than chopping and changing, unless something changes with your dog's needs " - Dr Lauren Davis

A quality food fed steadily does far more good than constantly switching brands chasing the next big thing. Pick a food that suits your dog and your budget, introduce it gradually, and give it time to work.

Our Overall Verdict

All five brands earn their place, but they are not interchangeable, so here is who each one is really for.

Our overall favourite remains Forthglade cold pressed, great quality, great price, sizes from 2kg 'try-it' bags to 20kg bulk packs, plus a wet topper range for picky pups.

Want raw benefits without the mess? Wild Pet Food and its smaller kibble, big protein range and build-your-own bundles.

Want grain-free goodness on an everyday budget? Pooch & Mutt superfood kibble, with a recipe for every life stage and four sister ranges from high-meat Primal to vet prescription diets.

Got a small dog? Walker & Drake and its game-changing reduced pellet size.

Want a food your vet would recommend? Hill's Science Plan, clinically backed and reliably digestible, especially for weight and sensitive stomachs.

Not sold on dry? Kibble is just one bowl on the menu. See how it stacks up against fresh, wet, raw and air-dried in our full guide to the best dog food in the UK.

Thanks for dropping by and checking out our tested pick of the best dry dog foods. 🐾

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best dry dog food in the UK? There is no single best. For most dogs we rate Forthglade cold pressed as the best all-rounder on quality and price, but the right choice depends on your dog's size, age, digestion and your budget. Our category picks above match a champion to each type of dog.

Is cold pressed better than normal kibble? Cold pressed is made at lower temperatures, so it retains more natural nutrients and can be gentler on sensitive stomachs. It usually scores higher on independent ratings like AADF, but it costs more than mainstream kibble such as Hill's or grain-free options like Pooch & Mutt.

What is the best dry dog food for a sensitive stomach? Look for a single, named protein, grain-free or gentle carbs, and easy digestibility. On our list, cold pressed foods (Wild Pet Food, Forthglade) suit many sensitive dogs, Pooch & Mutt's Veterinary Sensitivity diet is worth a look, and Hill's Science Plan Sensitive Stomach & Skin is the vet-recommended pick.

What is the best dry dog food for small breeds? Walker & Drake's Small Bite (5mm kibble) is our small-breed champion. Pooch & Mutt's Adult Minis and Hill's small and mini breed recipes are strong alternatives with smaller kibble too.

Is grain-free dry food better? Grain free suits dogs with grain sensitivities and is naturally hypoallergenic, which is why four of our five picks are grain free. It is not essential for every dog, though. A well-formulated food with named grains, like Hill's, can be an excellent choice, especially where your vet recommends it.

How much does dry dog food cost per day? On our test, daily costs for a 15kg dog ran from around 86p for Hill's Science Plan to £1.49 for Wild Pet Food. Bigger bags and Subscribe & Save options bring the price down across the board.

Why trust Smart Bark?

Claire is the founder of Smart Bark and a lifelong dog lover. With a 10-year background in retail buying for one of the UK's major retailers, she brings a keen eye for quality and value to every review.

Claire personally tests every item featured on Smart Bark with her own family dog and her team of dog testers, so you get honest, expert advice (not recycled marketing blurb) from someone who understands what works in real life, and what does not.

No gimmicks. Just trusted recommendations backed by experience.