How can I make Dog friendly and eco-friendly "Reindeer Food"?

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We all like to leave a tasty snack for Father Christmas on Christmas Eve to give him the energy he needs to deliver presents to all the good girls and boys, but what about Rudolf and his other reindeer helpers on their busiest night of the year? It has become a popular tradition to sprinkle "Reindeer Food" outside your house as a treat and to guide Father Christmas to your home. What's great is, you don't need to go and buy them special food, and in fact, it is far better to make your own, as the food you can buy in the shops is often full of glitter, which is very bad for our dogs, flying reindeer and other garden wildlife. Anything made from plastic can cause stomach problems for most animals, if eaten, and could cause a problem for the environment for a long time. Cake sprinkles or edible glitter should also be avoided as they tend to contain e-numbers. - chances are you have just what they love in your store cupboards anyway!

Why not try one of our dog friendly, eco friendly ideas from below.

How do I Make Dog Friendly "Reindeer Food"?

Ingredients and instructions

A handful of wild bird seed
A few rolled oats
Some dried fruit, like cranberries,( please don't use grapes, raisins, sultanas or currants as these might be ok for Rudolf but are definately not ok for inquisitive dogs).
Some dried insects such as mealworms and waxworms
Some grated cheese

Mix it all together, then sprinkle it on your lawn or leave it in a bowl by your front door just before you go to bed.

Alternatively, why not try this simple but effective idea?

Collect a mixture of brightly coloured leaves and use pretty punches to punch shapes from your leaves. These can then be scattered outside your home to guide the reindeer to your doorstep.

1 inch Paper Punch (snowflake) £6.98

Craft Paper Punch (snowman) £4.70

Christmas Craft Punch (Rudolph Reindeer) £5.81

How to make Reindeer cookies

It's not just Father Christmas who likes cookies left out on Christmas Eve - Rudolph and his friends love them too! Try our quick and easy recipe for these special reindeer cookies. Don't worry if they're not all eaten up by Rudolph, the garden birds will really appreciate them!

Ingredients

250g lard or suet
500g wild bird seed mix
A handful of dried cranberries

You'll also need a saucepan, a spoon for mixing, a lined baking tray and some Christmas shaped cookie cutters.

Instructions

Melt the lard or suet in a saucepan over a low heat, but not to let it boil.
When melted add in the wild bird seed mix and stir it in, ensuring it all sticks together.
When mixed, leave to one side for 10 minutes so it starts to set.
Whilst still soft, spoon into the lined baking tray and spread and at least 2cm deep throughout. Put the baking tray in the fridge to cool for about 30 minutes.
Remove from the fridge and lift the mixture out of the baking tray on the greaseproof paper. You should have a fairly solid slab.
Use your cookie cutters to cut out your reindeer cookies.
Leave them to cool, ideally in the fridge overnight.
Once set, they're ready to go outside for Rudolph! You can either leave them on a bird table, or perhaps hang them from a tree by tying some natural string around them.