Simpsons grain-free dog food: which recipes qualify
Simpsons makes both grain-free and grain-inclusive dog food, so "Simpsons grain-free" describes one part of the wider range rather than the whole brand. The Sensitive line and the 80/20 recipes are potato-based with no cereals at all; the Rice range genuinely is not.
The two halves of the Simpsons range
Simpsons' Sensitive recipes — built around a single named protein such as duck, salmon, lamb or chicken, paired with potato — list no cereal ingredient. The 80/20 recipes, which lead with a high percentage of named meat or fish, are built the same way, with potato rather than rice, maize or oats providing the carbohydrate.
Separately, Simpsons also makes recipes such as Chicken & Rice and Senior Light Chicken & Brown Rice, which do include brown rice, maize and oats in the ingredients list. These aren't a lesser product — they're simply built to a different specification, and the two exist side by side in the same brand.
How to tell the two apart when you're ordering
The clearest signal is the name: recipes described as "Sensitive" or "80/20" are the grain-free side of the range, while anything naming rice, or described as a "Rice" recipe, contains cereals. Where you're not sure, the composition panel on each product page settles it — potato listed early with no cereal named means grain-free; rice, maize or oats anywhere in the list means it isn't.
Neither side of the range is inherently better for every dog. A dog with a known grain sensitivity may do better on the potato-based recipes; a dog with no such issue can do perfectly well on either.
For this need
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Forthglade Cold Pressed Natural Turkey
Cold-pressed turkey kibble for dogs from 2 months, soft enough to mix with water for young pups
£45.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Salmon
Cold-pressed grain-free dry food for dogs, built on fresh and dried salmon
From£16.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Duck
Cold-pressed grain-free duck food with fruit and botanicals, in two bag sizes
From£16.99
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Chicken
Cold-pressed grain-free chicken food with fruit and botanicals, in three bag sizes
From£16.99
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Turkey
A lightly baked complete dry food, 50% turkey, for adult dogs of any breed
From£12.49
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Chicken
A grain-free complete dry food for adult dogs, lightly baked and built on 50% chicken
From£12.49
Forthglade Cold Pressed Small Dog Turkey
Cold-pressed grain-free dry food for small dogs and puppies, built on turkey
£16.99
Forthglade Complete Meal Lightly Baked Lamb
A lightly baked complete dry food, 50% lamb, for adult dogs of any breed
From£12.49
Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Turkey
Grain-free cold-pressed turkey kibble for dogs, gentle on sensitive stomachs
£69.69
Harringtons Puppy Turkey & Rice
Complete turkey puppy food with 30% protein and feeding bands by adult weight
£6.49
Harringtons Adult Dog Turkey Veg
Complete dry food for adult dogs with turkey, chicken and salmon oil, 21% protein
From£3.39
Harringtons Adult Dog Salmon & Potato
Complete salmon and potato dry dog food with 21% protein in a 1.7KG bag
£6.25
Common questions
- Is Simpsons a grain-free brand?
- Partly. The Sensitive and 80/20 recipes are grain-free, built around potato rather than cereals, while other recipes in the range, such as the Rice line, do contain grains like rice, maize and oats. Check the specific recipe rather than assuming the whole brand is one way.
- Which Simpsons recipes are grain-free?
- The Sensitive recipes (Duck & Potato, Salmon & Potato, Lamb & Potato and Chicken & Potato) and the 80/20 range are grain-free, using potato as the main carbohydrate rather than any cereal.
- Does my dog need a grain-free food?
- Only some dogs genuinely benefit from avoiding grain, usually those with a diagnosed sensitivity. Most dogs digest cereals without any issue, so it isn't a default requirement — check with your vet if you suspect a specific sensitivity.
- Can I switch between the two ranges?
- Yes, but introduce any change gradually over several days by mixing increasing amounts of the new food with the old, rather than swapping in one go, to give your dog's digestion time to adjust.
Related
Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.