My dog tried the UK's first microwavable meals for pets, and my kitchen smelled like a Sunday dinner

Since I adopted my dog Bear I have spent hours looking into different foods and meal options for him, and after a few months we finally figured out the perfect diet for him, with a focus on dry food but also some raw. As he is a two-year-old Rottweiler, Bear has a big appetite and I try and keep his meals as varied as possible as I know I would hate to have the same thing twice a day, every day.

One thing I did not expect to come across was a microwavable meal for dogs, which is something I didn't even think existed. However, it turns out that Ted's Bowl, which is the UK's first range of ready meals for pets, only launched in April 2024, so I was keen to see what it was like and if it was something Bear would enjoy.

The company have a huge range of flavours for adult dog meals, which includes lamb and mint, venison with blackberries, beef with sweet potato and chicken with carrots and cost £4.50 each from Ocado. They also have a beef and sweet potato meal for puppies, and other flavours for cats and kittens, such as salmon and chicken.

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Ted's Bowl uses human-grade prime cuts of meats and vegetables in its meals with added vitamins and minerals, and absolutely no bone, grain, fillers or preservatives. Whilst this all sounded great, I still had no idea what my dog would think of it, or what it would actually look like when it arrived.

When the large box arrived in the post Bear was really excited and could clearly smell that there was something good in the box, which was similar to a Gusto or HelloFresh delivery as it had ice inside to keep everything nice and cold. I had a quick look at the instructions and put all the meals in the freezer although you can defrost some in the fridge if you know you will be using them quickly.

That night I let Bear pick a flavour and his paw went straight on the chicken and carrot meal so that was that. After taking the sleeve off the plastic box it was easy enough to break the seal and open it up, and inside was a large slab of chicken and vegetables.

I placed the container on a microwavable plate with the lid gently resting on top but not pushed on, and then cooked it for eight minutes at full power, stopping halfway through to give it a stir. I left it on the side for five minutes or so just to cool down a bit, and whilst for many dogs this could be a full meal, as Bear is a giant breed I still gave him some kibble with this and it helped to soak up all the juices.

He was very eager for me to put his dinner down, although a bit confused when he realised the meat was warm, but after a few more sniffs he ate the whole thing and spent a good few minutes pushing the plate around with his tongue to get every last bit. Over the week we tried out the other flavours, and I'm not sure which was Bear's favourite, possibly the chicken or beef, but my favourite one to cook was the lamb and mint one.

It smelt absolutely incredible, to the point where it was making me hungry for my own dinner. The whole kitchen smelt like a Sunday dinner, so when my fiance popped in to see what was for dinner he was rather disappointed when it was just a spag bol when the dog was having what looked like a feast.

The meals are so easy to cook, and whilst I don't think I would use them regularly they are definitely a nice treat for now and then to mix up Bear's meals with some extra variety. However, if you are in a big household, make sure everyone knows the meals in the freezer are for your pets and not for them to eat, as the packaging does make them look just like a normal ready meal from the supermarket.