MENU

Pet friendly pawsome dining: ideas from 1000 Hills Chef School

The culinary experience is a delectable one. As humans with complex palates and diet, we enjoy a vast variety of tastes and textures. But why limit the savouring to us? We believe that fine dining should get enjoyed by all, even our pets. For all you pet lovers out there — step into the world beyond the kibble bag. We have gathered great pet friendly recipes, treats and tasty tips for excitable licking lips. You’ll have fun learning and cooking while your buddy will adore you even more. Cue the happy tappies all around.

Add fine canine dining to your repertoire

As a culinary school centred around the theory, creation, presentation and enjoyment of fine foods — we also take time to have fun with our ideas. Our archive of culinary tips and articles explore a number of fun dish ideas, from holiday favourites to helpful student study snacks. To make our list complete, we present these pet friendly snack ideas for tail-wagging canine cuisine.

pet friendly

From our pet friendly kitchen to yours

We know that a weekend out just isn’t the same if your furry friend isn’t there to share in the fun. That’s why our Classroom Cafe and craft brewery have specially concocted a canine menu. View our menu online to see our fun bar(k) snacks. This includes tasty treats like doggie beer and chicken strips (which is savoury chicken stock cooked chicken strips) or whole wheat doggie crackers — our secret low sodium dog biscuit recipe. Your dining experience with us will only be better seeing your buddy enjoying their doggone good dish.

 

The joy of a good food experience is also making it at home — so we have set aside some important reminders and recipes to try at home.

Rule of paw

When cooking for your canine friend, be sure to keep their meal and nutritional needs in mind. 

Homemade meals for dog require: 

  • 50% cooked protein
  • 25% produce
  • 25% cooked complex carbs

 

With these basics laid out, you can then prepare the meals and then serve the correct proportions according to your dog’s size. Use this guide: 

 

Dog’s weight  | Cups required

5 kg    — 1 cup

11 kgs — 2 cups

22 kgs — 4 cups

45 kgs — 8 cups

 

Lastly, consult your veterinarian in the case of your dog having dietary needs. They may suggest certain dishes to meet the correct weight, dental needs or any unique concerns. 

Doggie dishes for pet friendly canine cuisine

We love the inspired doggie dishes created by food blogger Chungah Rhee of Damn Delicious and the recipes sourced by Greatist. Try some of these amazing ideas for a fun way to treat your furry friends at home.

Tackling allergies

Calling all pup owners dealing with ‘pupset’ pet tummies. If your dogs are sufferers of sensitive tummies, tooty booty or victims of vomiting, this is a winning recipe for you. This dish comes from the Wheresthefrechie blog, where the owner had not one, but two french bulldogs struggling with a combination of allergies. The chosen ingredients all aid in promoting health — olive oil brings in healthy fats; the coconut flakes also add healthy fats, as well as helping with indigestion and is great for their skin and coat; calcium promotes bone growth and health; and lastly, the pumpkin is a high source of digestible fibre. A fabulous feast indeed.

Ingredients
  • 3 lbs ground turkey (or any protein)
  • 1 cup uncooked millet (or any other whole grain: quinoa, rice, pasta)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 carrot, shredded
  • 1 zucchini, shredded
  • 1 squash, shredded
  • 1 apple, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp calcium powder
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes or coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
Method
  1. Bring 1 cup of your chosen whole grain to a boil in a pot of water. (Tip: overcook it so that it’s soft and easily digestible). Once cooked, drain.

 

  1. While the grains are boiling, shred or chop the veggies.

 

  1. Cook the ground turkey with olive oil and drain excess juices.

 

  1. Mix everything together — there is no need to cook the veggies, as the cooked turkey and whole grain will warm the veggie mixture.

No baking, no barking

No bake peanut butter dog treats
Description

No prep time? No problem. This recipe uses only four ingredients to create a tasty treat in 15 minutes. These peanut butter treats, if refrigerated in an airtight container, will keep well for up to a week. 

Ingredients
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 3 cups oats, divided
Method
  1. Beat pumpkin puree, peanut butter and milk until well combined.
  2. Gradually add 2 ½ cups oats and beat until well mixed.
  3. Using a small cookie scoop or ice cream scooper, roll the mixture into 3cm to 4cm sized balls. You will get about 20 treats from this mixture. 
  4. Taking the formed balls, roll them through the remaining ½ cup old fashioned oats to cover and coat the outside of the treats.
  5. Once all balls get coated, cover and place them in the refrigerator until firm for about an hour. 
  6. Tell your pal they are a good boy or girl, hand the treat over and enjoy.

Bad breath — meet breath mint

Dog treats with pumpkin apple and mint

Is your furry friend’s breath smelling a little foul? It’s okay, just slip a little breath mint and no need to tell them. This treat is a crowd-pleaser for happier households and pups all around. As a special note, the baking time for these treats will vary depending on the size and thickness of the treats. Serving size will also vary depending on the desired shapes and cookie cutters used.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 cups whole wheat flour, or more, as needed
  • 1 apple, grated
  • 1/2 cup mint leaves, chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Method
  1. Preheat your oven to 180°C.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set it aside.
  3. Beat the pumpkin puree and eggs until well combined. Gradually add 2 ½ cups flour until incorporated. Add ¼ cup flour at a time just until the dough is no longer sticky. Add apple, mint and parsley, beating just until incorporated.
  4. Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 3 – 4 times until it comes together. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to ½ centimetre thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut out desired shapes and place them onto the prepared baking sheet.
  5. Place the sheet into the oven and bake until the edges are golden brown for about 20 — 25 minutes.
  6. Let the treats cool completely before presenting one to your pups.

Doggie dining — we hope they dig it

From our kitchen to yours, we hope you enjoy creating fun pet friendly treats and dishes for your four-legged friend for many meals to come. For more ideas on speciality dishes, explore our chef school blog or contact us to make a booking to sample our menu in the beautiful Valley of 1000 Hills.