Forthglade vs Butternut Box for Puppies — Cold-Pressed vs Fresh
If you're feeding a new puppy in the UK and want to do it properly, two very different brands keep topping the lists: Forthglade and Butternut Box. Both are our top two picks in the best puppy food guide — but they solve the problem in opposite ways. Forthglade is cold-pressed dry food (with wet trays) you keep in the cupboard; Butternut Box is chilled fresh food delivered on subscription, portioned to your puppy's exact growth. This is the classic convenience-and-cost vs fresh-nutrition decision, set during the most important feeding months of a dog's life.
The short version: Forthglade is the easiest, most affordable way to feed a puppy well — cupboard-stable, all-life-stage, around £0.70/day — and your pup never has to switch foods as it grows. Butternut Box scores higher on independent nutrition ratings, wins on palatability for fussy pups, and takes the guesswork out of portion control for growth — at roughly £2.40/day and the need for freezer space. This guide compares them head-to-head on nutrition, growth, storage, cost and convenience — informed by feeding our own dog, Milo, a 12-year-old Labrador/Lurcher rescue who's wheat-sensitive and has been on grain-free food his whole life, alongside published data and independent All About Dog Food (AADF) ratings.
At a Glance
| Forthglade (Puppy) | Butternut Box (Puppy) | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Cold-pressed dry + wet trays | Chilled fresh, steam-cooked (subscription) |
| Meat content | Single-source named meat | 60% fresh meat |
| AADF rating | 73–75% dry / 77–88% wet | 93–94% (recipe-dependent) |
| Grain-free | Yes — hypoallergenic | Yes — no grains, soya, sugar or salt |
| Portioning | Weigh to feeding guide, adjust as pup grows | Pre-portioned to weight & growth target, recalculated |
| Storage | Cupboard — shelf-stable | Fridge / freezer |
| Price per day | From ~£0.70/day | ~£2.40/day (small pup, rises with size) |
| All-life-stage | Yes — same recipe weaning→senior | Feeds all ages, recipe evolves with the dog |
| Best for | Most puppies, convenience, value, no diet switches | Fussy pups, top nutrition, hands-off growth control |
Nutrition & Ingredients
Both brands clear the puppy-nutrition bar comfortably, and both build on the same modern principles: named meat, grain-free, hypoallergenic and free from artificial additives. The difference is format and meat density.
Butternut Box leads on raw numbers. Its gently steam-cooked fresh meals are built on 60% fresh meat with no grains, soya, sugar or salt, and rate 93–94% on AADF — among the highest scores of any UK food. For a growing puppy, that high-quality, highly digestible protein is genuinely valuable, and the fresh format makes it very easy on developing skin and digestion.
Forthglade takes a different route. Its cold-pressed dry food is made at low temperatures that preserve more nutrients than standard high-heat extrusion, rated 73–75% by AADF, and its wet trays score 77–88% — both excellent for cupboard-stored food and well above typical puppy kibble. Everything is grain-, gluten-free and hypoallergenic, with single-source named proteins that make it a clean choice if you suspect a specific intolerance. The Turkey Cold Pressed recipe even uses a smaller pellet ideal for tiny mouths and teething pups.
Verdict: Butternut Box on absolute AADF nutrition and digestibility; Forthglade for a genuinely high-quality, hypoallergenic cupboard food that punches above its format.
Growth & Portion Control
This is the section that matters most for puppies, and it's where the two brands genuinely differ. Overfeeding a growing puppy — especially a large or giant breed — drives rapid growth that's linked to hip and elbow dysplasia and other developmental joint problems. Getting portions right isn't fussiness; it's protecting your dog's joints for life.
Butternut Box makes this almost automatic. Every plan is calculated to your puppy's current weight and growth target, delivered in pre-portioned pouches, and recalculated as your pup grows. You feed the pouch, and the maths is done for you — a real advantage for first-time owners or anyone nervous about overfeeding a fast-growing breed.
Forthglade reaches the same destination, but you drive. You weigh meals to the feeding guide and adjust the amount as your pup gains weight — slightly more attention, but completely manageable with kitchen scales and a feeding chart, and arguably it keeps you more closely tuned to your dog's condition.
Verdict: Butternut Box for hands-off, growth-matched portion control; Forthglade if you're happy to weigh meals and stay hands-on.
Storage & Convenience
This is where Forthglade makes its case. It's shelf-stable cupboard food — no fridge, no freezer, no defrosting — which makes it far simpler for small kitchens, travel, holidays and dog-sitters. Scoop and serve.
Butternut Box is delivered frozen, so you need freezer space to store pouches and fridge space to defrost a few days at a time. It's a subscription rather than buy-as-you-go, which suits some owners and frustrates others. The convenience is in the delivery and the done-for-you portions; the inconvenience is the cold-storage footprint.
Verdict: Forthglade for everyday convenience and zero cold-storage hassle; Butternut Box if you value doorstep delivery and don't mind making freezer room. If you love the idea of fresh but can't spare the freezer, a shelf-stable fresh food like Years bridges the gap.
Cost
The gap is large and worth being honest about. Forthglade works out from around £0.70/day for a puppy, with the best per-unit price on a larger subscription. Butternut Box runs around £2.40/day for a small growing pup and noticeably more for larger breeds — so over a puppy's first year the difference adds up to hundreds of pounds.
That premium isn't wasted — it buys higher AADF nutrition, top palatability and done-for-you portioning — but for a healthy, easy-to-feed puppy on a budget, Forthglade delivers most of the practical benefit for roughly a third of the cost. A popular middle path: feed Forthglade as the everyday base and use Butternut Box as a fresh topper or for fussy spells, getting fresh-food appeal without the full fresh-food bill.
Verdict: Forthglade wins clearly on cost; Butternut Box justifies its premium for fussy pups and hands-off owners.
Which Should You Choose?
There's no single winner — it depends on your priorities and your puppy:
- Choose Forthglade if: you want a convenient, cupboard-stored, all-life-stage food at around £0.70/day that your pup never has to switch off. Ideal for most healthy puppies, budget-conscious owners, and anyone who wants to avoid stressful diet changes as their dog grows.
- Choose Butternut Box if: you want the highest AADF nutrition, effortless portion control matched to your puppy's growth, and maximum palatability for a fussy pup — and you're happy to pay around £2.40/day and make freezer space.
- Feeding a large or giant breed? The portion-control advantage of Butternut Box (or careful weighing with Forthglade) matters most for you — controlled growth protects developing joints.
- Want the best of both? Many owners run Forthglade as the everyday base and add Butternut Box as a fresh topper for fussy spells — fresh appeal, lower overall cost.
For our own dog Milo (12), who's been on grain-free, hypoallergenic food his whole life, the principle both brands follow — named single-source protein, no grains, gentle on digestion — is exactly what's kept his sensitivities in check from puppyhood to senior. For the wider field of puppy options, see our full best puppy food UK guide, and to understand the storage trade-off in the fresh category, see Years vs Butternut Box.
How to Switch
Whichever you choose, transition gradually over 7-10 days, mixing increasing amounts of the new food into the old to protect a puppy's developing digestion. Puppies have smaller stomachs and faster metabolisms than adults, so feed little and often (typically 3-4 meals a day for young pups, reducing as they grow) and follow the brand's age-and-weight feeding guide closely. As always, if your puppy's appetite, weight, energy or toileting changes noticeably and doesn't settle, book a vet check.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the main difference between Forthglade and Butternut Box for a puppy?
Format and feeding philosophy. Forthglade is cold-pressed dry food (plus wet trays) you keep in the cupboard — uniquely all-life-stage, so the same grain-free recipe carries from weaning to senior with no diet switches. Butternut Box is chilled fresh food, steam-cooked, delivered on subscription in pouches portioned to your puppy's exact weight and growth target. Forthglade wins on convenience and cost; Butternut Box wins on top-tier nutrition scores and hands-off portion control for growth.
Which has the higher AADF rating, Forthglade or Butternut Box puppy?
Butternut Box, on paper. Independent reviewer All About Dog Food rates Butternut Box around 93–94%, among the highest scores of any UK food, driven by 60% fresh meat and a clean steam-cooked recipe. Forthglade's cold-pressed dry sits at 73–75% and its wet trays at 77–88% — excellent for a cupboard food and well above typical puppy kibble, but a step below fresh. Both are genuinely strong; the gap reflects fresh-vs-dry format more than quality of intent.
Is Butternut Box worth the extra cost for a puppy?
It depends on your budget and your dog. Butternut Box runs around £2.40/day for a small growing pup and more for larger breeds, versus roughly £0.70/day for Forthglade. The premium buys higher AADF nutrition, very high palatability for fussy pups, and — the real puppy advantage — portions calculated and recalculated to your puppy's growth, which helps avoid the overfeeding that's linked to joint problems in fast-growing large breeds. For a healthy, easy-to-feed pup on a budget, Forthglade delivers most of the benefit for a third of the cost.
Why does portion control matter so much for puppies?
Because overfeeding a growing puppy — especially a large or giant breed — drives rapid growth that's linked to hip and elbow dysplasia and other developmental joint problems. Butternut Box's pre-portioned, weight-matched pouches make controlled growth almost automatic. With Forthglade you get the same result by weighing meals to the feeding guide and adjusting as your pup grows — it just takes a little more attention on your part.
Can a puppy stay on the same food into adulthood?
With Forthglade, yes — that's its standout feature. The same grain-free cold-pressed recipe is formulated for all life stages, so your pup never needs a stressful transition to adult food; you just adjust the quantity. Butternut Box also feeds adults and seniors, but it recalculates the recipe and portions as your dog matures, so the food evolves with them rather than staying identical. Either way you avoid the abrupt brand-switch most owners face.
Which is better for a sensitive-stomach or fussy puppy?
Both are built for sensitive young tummies — grain-free, hypoallergenic, no soya, and free from artificial additives. For the fussiest pups, Butternut Box's warm, aromatic fresh meals tend to win on palatability and are very gentle on developing skin and digestion. Forthglade's cold-pressed kibble and wet trays are also hypoallergenic and single-source, which makes them a strong choice if you suspect a specific protein intolerance and want to keep the recipe simple. Our own wheat-sensitive dog Milo does well on grain-free single-source food, which is the principle both follow.
Do I need a freezer for Butternut Box?
Yes — that's the main practical trade-off. Butternut Box is delivered frozen, so you need freezer space to store the pouches and fridge space to defrost a few days at a time. Forthglade is shelf-stable cupboard food with no fridge or freezer needed, which makes it far simpler for small kitchens, travel and holidays. If freezer space or convenience is a dealbreaker, Forthglade — or a shelf-stable fresh food like Years — is the easier fit.
Which should I choose, Forthglade or Butternut Box, for my puppy?
Choose Forthglade if you want a convenient, cupboard-stored, all-life-stage food at around £0.70/day that your pup never has to switch off — ideal for most healthy puppies and budget-conscious owners. Choose Butternut Box if you want the highest AADF nutrition, effortless portion control matched to your puppy's growth, and maximum palatability for a fussy pup — and you're happy to pay around £2.40/day and make freezer space. Many owners actually do both: Forthglade as the everyday base, Butternut Box as a fresh topper or for fussy spells.