A THREE course dog's dinner will be eaten by contestants on Come Dine With Me tonight, courtesy of a Wiltshire pet food company.

Natural pet food makers Poppy's Picnic will serve contestants on the dinner party reality show "Give a Dog a Bone" broth, canine lamb koftas and "Walk in the Park" tabouli.

Dylan Watkins founded the Wiltshire-based company to provide natural and additive-free meals for dogs, including his miniature Schnauzer Poppy, which he couldn't find anywhere else.

For the show, which will see contestants at a black tie meal eating the meals out of dog bowls, he teamed up with Emma Rutherford, a canine dietary consultant, to appear on the programme and showcase that just like humans, dogs should eat fresh food too.

As Dylan explained: “When a friend sent me the advert for the new series I knew it would be an excellent platform to encourage more dog owners to

feed fresh, healthy meals.

"My partner Michael was mortified at the thought of appearing on TV, so when Emma volunteered to join me, I seized this mad opportunity.”

The dog lover also hopes the airtime can create the perfect platform to increase awareness about the high level of obesity in dogs.

Dylan added: “Sadly, over 50 per cent of dogs in the UK are obese, and many are dying from cancer and diabetes. We know that highly processed food is a contributory factor in human health problems, and the same goes for dogs.

"This was a massive inspiration to me when I set up Poppy’s Picnic and why I used my appearance on Come Dine With Me to spread the word that fresh is best.”

Dylan concludes: “My heart pounds every time I think about the filming. I needn’t have worried, as all was forgiven by my fellow contestants as both couples now feed their dogs fresh, raw food. By appearing on a nationally loved TV show such as Come Dine With Me, I knew that the diets and health of thousands of dogs could be improved."

The Melksham-based company has had a meteoric rise since its start in 2016.

It got four offers when it was featured on BBC 2 Dragons’ Den, ran a successful crowdfunding campaign, and has won eight national and regional awards, including Start-Up of the Year Award at the Wiltshire Business Awards, organised by Newsquest and staff at Swindon Advertiser, in April 2018.

The episode of Couples Come Dine with Me will air tonight at 5pm on Channel 4.