Suet is bird food as fuel. At 490 kcal per 100g this is one of the most energy-dense things you can put out, and that matters at exactly two points in the year: the cold months, when small birds burn most of their daylight hours simply staying warm, and the breeding season, when adults are running themselves down feeding chicks.

Honeyfields make these as pellets rather than balls or blocks, which means they go in a feeder, a table or on the ground without any net or cage to deal with. The composition is cereals, oils and fats including ruminant tallow, various sugars, seeds, ground peanuts and insects at 0.4%. Crude protein is 6.6%. They are small and easy to peck, which Honeyfields note makes them suitable for younger birds.

• 550g or 12.55kg sack
• Suet pellets, 490 kcal per 100g
• Cereals, oils and fats including ruminant tallow
• Ground peanuts, seeds and insects at 0.4%
• Crude protein 6.6%
• Small and easy to peck, including for younger birds

Insects are 0.4%, and the energy is the actual point. The name puts insects on the front and there are some in there, but at 0.4% they are a flavour rather than a protein source — the protein reads 6.6%, which is low, because this is an energy food rather than a protein one. Feed it for calories in winter and through the breeding season, alongside something higher in protein rather than instead of it. It also contains ground peanuts, so keep it away from anyone in the house with a nut allergy, and take uneaten food off a table daily in warm weather rather than letting it turn.

Who it's for: anyone feeding garden birds seriously through winter or the nesting season, with a table, a feeder or a ground tray to put it in.