Anyone seen "real" buttermilk in the UK - not the cultured stuff that's like cream?

[twelveyeargap]

I need it for making soda bread. The "cream-like" stuff is ok, but you need loads of it, because it's not liquid enough. The stuff I used to buy in Ireland is more, well, like milk. It even used to come in a milk carton.

I can buy the cultured version in my local Tesco, but haven't seen any buttermilk anywhere else. Any thoughts?

[hoarsewhisperer]

nope - sorry. I've made it before (my rural upbringing!), but never bought it or seen it in a shop.

You'll be needing a cow and a butter churn if you want to make some.

[CountessDracula]

they sell it in waitrose but not sure if is the cream like one - I have used ti for soda bread, it seemed pretty milky to me

[twelveyeargap]

Don't know if we'd manage to get the cow through to the back garden, given we're mid-terrace.

Will look in Waitrose, cheers.

[CountessDracula]

it is in a cream carton though not milk

[CountessDracula]

oh no sorry it is cultured

[twelveyeargap]

Righty oh. Thanks. I thought I might be imagining a difference but Wiki tells me I'm not.

The bread was fine with the cultured stuff, it's just a lot easier to mix together with the more liquid version.

I suppose Ireland has a much bigger dairy industry, (and a fondness of soda bread) so buttermilk is sold as a product, rather than being used in other dairy products.

[twelveyeargap]

Might try the milk/ cream of tartar thing. I think my nana used to do that when she ran out of buttermilk.

[CrustyOldGeezer]

I checked all the major supermarkets online & it seems you can only get cultured buttermilk rather than the proper stuff. Most annoying since I want to try baking sodabread. Some say that the cultured variety is OK but I'd prefer the real thing.
Does anyone know of a supply?

[FatimaLovesBread]

Does anywhere near you stock Longley Farm Buttermilk? I think that's made the proper way i.e. cultured from butter production and not by just adding bacteria to milk.
It's nice and runny like milk anywy

[Glittertwins]

I just add lemon juice to milk, shake it up and leave to fizz away for 20 mins at room temperature. I've never had a problem with red velvet cupcakes with this way but haven't tried bread.

[HobKnob]

I have a chocolate cake recipe which calls for buttermilk. I use milk mixed with just enough vinegar to sour it. Works fine- but possibly not for a purist!

[hatgirl]

Yes I was going to suggest Longley Farm as well you can get it here and in a lot of supermarkets in the north. Perhaps try morrisons?

[snoworneahva]

I use the cartons of cultured buttermilk from Waitrose to make my soda farls, it looks like a carton of cream but it is quite acidic, more like yoghurt than cream.
FWIW I don't think you can get proper buttermilk in Ireland very easily now either - my mum in Ireland who makes soda farls at least twice a week has been forced to use the cultured stuff for almost as long as I remember and her bread is legendary. She recommends taking the buttermilk out of the fridge an hour or two before you use it - makes it more runny - but I can rarely be that organised so I use it straight from the fridge without an issues.

[SageMist]

I've found that the older cultured buttermilk gets, the thicker it gets.

So when I'm making butter pancakes I either use just bought buttermilk or add a splash of ordinary milk to loosen.

[JamNan]

Does this help? How to make your own buttermilk or this version.

I just use the Tesco one.

[CrustyOldGeezer]

It's just frustrating that there's Paul Hollywood's TV series and numerous books casually calling for an ingredient that isn't generally available. Thanks for your link to PlanetOrganic hatgirl. Only problem there is that with delivery it would over £6!
As for 'purist' I guess I am but mainly because I've only recently started 'proper' cooking. At present I prefer exact instructions and contents. With more experience I guess I'll learn to adopt the: 'a pinch of this and a dollop of that' and 'if you haven't item A then this will do...' attitude. Also I avoid recipes with ingredients in 'half a spoonful' and the like. I want grams and milliliters - an attitude born from a a life working in I.T. I guess.
At least my sourdough starter is looking healthy.

[Fallenangle]

Almost any grocer/supermarket in Northern Ireland. I don't think it is cultured.

[snoworneahva]

FallenAngle I thought it was mostly cultured in N. Ireland too, it's sold in waxed cardboard containers, but it's still Cultured. My DM buys Dale Farm - she would buy proper buttermilk if she could find it - which brand still makes traditional buttermilk?

[CrustyOldGeezer]

BBCFood tweets that when it says buttermilk it implies cultured. I'll try it tomorrow.