Making a dog’s dinner out of fine cuisine

YOU might not believe it but dog food currently on sale is made to recipes more appropriate to the human palate.

Market researchers have apparently discovered that what Fido wants is not Pedigree Chum or Winalot but the kind of meals his master enjoys.

With that end in mind, a pet food firm is now selling Irish stew dog food — made from lamb, potatoes, carrots and barley. Likewise, man’s best friend can also tuck into beef casserole with carrots and beans in onion gravy.

And should Rover have the refined tastes of, say the Dublin 4 set, then there’s always Mediterranean chicken with pasta or lamb terrine in mint jelly.

According to the manufacturers, the decision to produce dog food to recipes fit for the kitchen table has been driven by humans’ greater concern for their pets.

“As concerns about health, obesity, nutrition and food quality continue to dominate the headlines, the latest research indicates that these issues are also priorities for the nation’s dog owners,” the makers gushed yesterday.

“The ‘humanisation’ factor — which has had a dramatic impact on the pet food sector in the US — has been the driving force behind [this] new concept in dog food.

“With options ranging from Irish stew to Mediterranean chicken, the recipes could easily be mistaken for dishes from a top restaurant menu — and this transfers to the look, smell and palatability of the dish.”

While this writer has been in many a restaurant where the chef has made dog’s dinners out of simple meals, it is refreshing to know that, at last, dogs can actually enjoy these at first hand.

At 99 cents a 400-gramme can — or €3.89 for a four-pack — the dog food has caught the public imagination. The product is doing a roaring trade in supermarkets already. As tales of hard-up students eating dog food in 1980s Britain still do the rounds among students’ union bars, it might not just be Fido who will be driving the demand for the gourmet dishes either.

Quite where dog food based on human recipes will lead is anyone’s guess but watch out for more wacky mealtime ideas as Christmas approaches.

Though they’re not on the shelves yet, it’s a fair bet that Christmas turkey-and-ham dinners for dogs and cats will soon become mainstream.