Bug Bakes: From Mum’s Kitchen to Dragons’ Den. Is This the Future of Dog Food?

<p>In this episode of <em>The Consult Room</em>, I’m joined by <strong>Ross Lamond</strong>, founder of <a href="https://bugbakes.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>Bug Bakes</strong></a>, to explore one of the more unusual developments in modern pet nutrition: insect-based dog food.</p><p>Ross’s story is anything but conventional. After studying law, he began hand-making insect-based dog treats with his mum in the family kitchen. What started as a one-year experiment eventually took him to <em>Dragons’ Den</em> and helped build one of the UK’s best-known insect-based dog food brands.</p><p>But this episode goes much further than the Bug Bakes story.</p><p>Ross and I explore the science behind insect protein, how it compares with more conventional animal proteins, and why its potential as a novel protein has attracted interest for dogs with food sensitivities. We also look at how dog food is processed, the arguments around cold-pressed food, and some of the environmental questions surrounding what we put in our dogs’ bowls.</p><p>Because once you get past the initial “yuck factor”, insects raise some genuinely interesting questions about how we might feed our dogs in the future.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>In This Episode</strong></p><ul><li>How Bug Bakes went from Ross’s mum’s kitchen to <em>Dragons’ Den</em></li><li>Why Ross chose insects as an alternative protein source</li><li>How insect protein compares with traditional animal proteins</li><li>Why novel proteins are interesting for dogs with food sensitivities</li><li>What cold-pressed dog food actually means</li><li>Processing, ingredients and pet food marketing</li><li>The environmental case for insect farming</li><li>Why insect-based dog food remains relatively expensive</li><li>What Ross would change about pet food labelling and transparency</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Key Takeaways</strong></p><ul><li>Insect protein is a complete animal protein, despite many people assuming otherwise</li><li>Its novelty may make it useful as a protein option for some dogs with food sensitivities</li><li>How dog food is manufactured is more complicated than simply labelling one process “good” and another “bad”</li><li>Insect farming offers some potentially significant sustainability advantages</li><li>Cost and scale remain major barriers to wider adoption</li><li>Better transparency could make it easier for owners to understand what they are actually buying</li></ul><p><br></p><p>🎙️ Could in