Fresh FAQ's

How is Lily’s Kitchen Fresh Recipes different to other fresh products on the market?

What's great about our Fresh Recipes is that, thanks to a careful cooking method, they’re cupboard fresh without the need for any preservatives. This means you can store them in the cupboard until you’re ready to serve, without taking up valuable freezer space or having to remember to defrost them. Once opened, store any leftovers in the fridge and use within 2 days.

What makes this product Fresh?

Our Fresh Recipes are made with 100% fresh meat and offal for fuller flavour and a naturally rich aroma.

What do you mean by fresh meat?

Fresh meat means proper skeletal meat and offal which has been chilled throughout the manufacturing process before cooking – not pre-cooked, not frozen and defrosted and definitely not meat meal.

What makes this different vs the rest of your food?

Our Fresh Recipes are made with 100% rich, aromatic fresh meat and offal for fuller flavour and a naturally rich aroma. This means the meat has not been frozen at any point during the process. These recipes are also cooked at a lower temperature and for longer compared to our tins and trays.

The texture is different than your tins and trays – is that right?

Yes, that’s right. Our Fresh Recipes have a softer, wetter texture compared to our core tins and trays.

Where and for how long can I store this food?

Our Fresh Recipes are cupboard fresh. That means they can be stored in your cupboard until your furry friend is ready to enjoy them, without the need for any preservatives. Please note, these recipes don’t stick around for too long, so make sure to look at the best before date on the back. Once opened, store any leftovers in the fridge and use within 2 days.

Do I need to freeze and defrost Fresh Recipes?

Nope! What's great about our Fresh Recipes is that, thanks to a careful cooking method, they’re cupboard fresh without the need for any preservatives. This means you can store them in the cupboard until you’re ready to serve, without taking up valuable freezer space or having to remember to defrost them. Once opened, store any leftovers in the fridge and use within 2 days.

How long will this keep once it's opened?

Once opened, we recommend that any leftover food is covered, sealed tight and stored in the fridge for no more than 48 hours. For peak deliciousness, serve in room temperature with a bowl of fresh water.

How are Fresh Recipes cooked?

We pop our Fresh Recipes in a pouch, seal them shut and cook them to provide delicious food. 

What does cupboard fresh mean?

Because of a careful cooking method, our Fresh Recipes can be stored in the cupboard until you’re ready to serve them, without the need for any preservatives – just like your favourite tin of soup. Once opened, store in the fridge and use within 2 days.

Is it possible to freeze a Fresh Recipe?

Our pouch isn’t designed to be frozen so we wouldn’t recommend this.

Can I feed this with other wet or dry food?

Yes absolutely! Head over to our online feeding calculator for more guidance.

Do you use human quality meat?

Fun fact: “human-grade” certification doesn’t apply once the meat exits the human food chain and is used to make pet food – regardless of its quality.  That’s why we don’t label our meat as human-grade. But we can say that the 100% fresh meat and offal we use in our Fresh Recipes is of the uncompromising quality you’ve come to know and expect from Lily’s Kitchen.

Do you use muscle meat, skeletal meat and/or offal?

We use a mixture of 100% fresh skeletal meat and offal. We add offal to create a balanced diet, as it is rich in nutrients and appetising to your dog. Within the human food chain, meat is often selected above offal, and by us also using this ingredient we can help reduce potential waste from the human food chain.

Do you use artificial preservatives/additives?

No – because of a careful cooking method, we don’t need to use artificial additives or preservatives to make delicious proper food for dogs.

Do you use natural preservatives? If so, are these different from what is used in your other tins and trays?

We don’t use any preservatives in our Fresh Recipes – natural or otherwise. Our Fresh Recipes are cooked at a high enough temperature to provide delicious food without the need for any preservatives. 

Can the packaging be recycled?

Yes, absolutely! Please check the information on the packaging for guidance on how to recycle.

Will my dog like this?

While we can’t say for sure – every dog is different – we can say that we’ve seen some very clean bowls when we’ve trialled our Fresh Recipes, which is always a good sign.

Our Fresh Recipes are made in the same factory as our core wet tins and trays (apart from our Organic and Ultimate ranges), so if your dog enjoys those, there’s a chance they’ll enjoy these too.

What are the dark bits in the food?

That is bits of 100% fresh, tasty and nutritious offal. We add offal to create a balanced diet, as it is rich in nutrients and appetising to your dog. Within the human food chain, meat is often selected above offal, and by us also using this ingredient we can help reduce potential waste from the human food chain.

Are Fresh Recipes grain-free?

Grains can be a part of a balanced diet for most dogs, but we understand that some pets have specific dietary needs. If you’re looking for a grain-free recipe*, we recommend our Chicken with Quinoa and Chicken with Pork Fresh Recipes (*made in a factory that handles grains, so traces may be present). Our Chicken with Salmon Fresh Recipe is not grain-free as it is made with pearl barley, which contains dietary fibre.

Have you got any other Fresh Recipes coming?

We’re already thinking about what other Fresh Recipes we can add to the collection – watch this space!

My dog has a chicken intolerance meaning I can’t feed these.

Sorry to hear that. But don’t worry, we’re already thinking about what other Fresh Recipes we can add to the collection, so keep an eye out for future additions. Until then, you’ll find plenty of other tasty chicken-free dinners on our website, like our Cottage Pie and Lamb Hotpot.

Are Fresh Recipes suitable for puppies? From what age can I feed Fresh Recipes?

Our Fresh Recipes are suitable for puppies from 4 months+. We recommend feeding puppies our puppy recipes until they reach their full, adult weight before slowly transitioning them onto our adult recipes – check out our website for our puppy range.

Are Fresh Recipes hypoallergenic?

If your dog has allergies, we recommend checking the full list of ingredients on the back of the pack to see if there’s anything they might react to. Since every pup is different and allergies can vary, it’s always best to check with your vet before introducing a new food - they’ll be able to give you the most accurate advice based on your dog’s specific needs. 

Are Fresh Recipes nutritionally complete?

Yes! Our Fresh Recipes are nutritionally complete with the required nutrients your dog needs for a healthy, balanced diet.

My Fresh Recipes have arrived squashed.

Sorry your recipes arrived looking a little worse for wear. We’d never knowingly send out damaged food, so it looks like your parcel had a bit of a bumpy journey. The good news is that this shouldn’t impact the recipe quality or taste. However, if the packaging is punctured or damaged in any way, please contact our Customer Care team who will be more than happy to replace them.

Is your salmon responsibly sourced?

For fish we understand the risks associated with fishing and we are working on improving our traceability of these ingredients. 

For our wild and farmed fish we ask our suppliers to supply information about where our fish is sourced from and do our best to identify the location where it's fished. We don't directly source our ingredients from farms ourselves but we build strong relationships with our suppliers who source ingredients to our standards on our behalf. Our producers follow all regulations for the controlled supply of both farmed and wild fish.

Nearly all of the fish used in our recipes is from farmed sources, however we are working to remove all wild fish (fish caught in their natural habitat) from any of our recipes.

Are Fresh Recipes easy to transition onto?

Absolutely! To ensure a smooth transition when making any changes to your dog's diet it is recommended to do this gradually. If you are changing to a different recipe or a new food, it’s best to introduce it bit by bit over about a week. Start with a mix of 4/5 of your current food to 1/5 of the intended recipe. If your dog is more sensitive to dietary changes you may want to transition more gradually.

Our Fresh Recipes are made in the same factory as our core wet tins and trays (excluding our Organic and Ultimate ranges), so if your dog is already a fan of those, then our Fresh Recipes are a great way to branch out.

Do you use carrageenan in Fresh Recipes?

Yes - we include carrageenan in our vet-approved Fresh Recipes. Carrageenan is often extracted from seaweed and is widely used in the food industry for its gelling, thickening, and stabilising properties. It’s also commonly used as a vegetarian or vegan alternative to gelatine. 

What thickener / gelling agent do you use in Fresh Recipes? How does this differ from your tins and trays?

We use locust bean gum, xantham gum, guar gum and carrageenan in our Fresh Recipes. These are the same as we use in some of our other wet dog recipes (core, not ultimate’s and organic).

Why do you use thickeners in Fresh Recipes?

Thickeners help to thicken and emulsify pet food. We use proper meat and vegetables in our recipes, which are high in water content, and adding a thickener helps to create the texture your pet knows and loves.

On your website/in your ads you say ‘our recipe is made with 100% fresh meat and offal’ or ‘100% of our meat and offal is fresh’ but your recipes contain 60% fresh meat/fish.

We can totally understand why that may be confusing! When we say that ‘100% of our meat and offal is fresh’, we mean that all of the meat and offal used in our Fresh Recipes is 100% fresh. It doesn’t mean that the recipes themselves are made up of 100% meat and offal. Instead, meat and offal make up 60% of the recipe. We hope that clears things up!