What’s going on with butter (buttery spread)?

[ViaRia01]

I recall something recently to do with Arla but I’m not sure what all that was about or whether it’s relevant to this:

Ive bought lurpack for several years. Happy with it. Taste, readability, butter-like. A short while ago M&S didn’t have lurpack so I bought their own brand spread that looked a bit lurpacky on the packaging. It was… weird. Opaque. It looked and felt like spreadable plastic. I finished the tub and vowed to stick to lurpack. Anyway, now, a few months later, my new lurpack tub is really similar (although not as bad) as the M&S one. It doesn’t spread and it just sort of feels plasticky.

Has anyone else experienced this? Or can you explain what’s going on…?

Ideally I’d switch to real butter. I might do. It just doesn’t keep very well or keep at a good consistency if it’s too hot or cold!

I have real butter in a glass butter dish with a cow on the top. DH uses crumb-infested knives, so he has Anchor spreadable (I can see crumby bits of spread round the lid from here). He likes it because it's bright yellow (so it tastes like butter) whereas the Lurpak one that I used to buy is very pale like margarine (so it tastes like margarine). Go figure.

The very best butter like spread is Aldi’s valley spread in a yellow tub. It tastes nice, unlike modern lurpak, god knows what they’ve done to it and it melts well on toast/crumpets etc.
I find actual butter tastes stale after 2 or 3 days, even if kept wrapped up and it doesn’t have nearly enough salt in it nowadays.

We keep the butter dish near a radiator in cold weather. You can soften butter up by putting a knob of it on a saucer that you’ve warmed under the hot tap, then putting a mug that you’ve again warmed under a hot tap upside down over it.

I've tried a few brands and they're awful its like water. Could it be something to do with the Bovaer feed additive?

Yes OP did you mean this additive thing they are trialling? I've never liked spreadable it tastes cheap.
There's been something written about it on World Animal Protection UK website called 'The hidden costs of Bovaer.' I don't think its just Arla though

Don’t be daft!

It is delicious isn't it! Has the same mouth feel as dairy Lurpack imo. I only get it when it's on offer as £4.25 is a bit steep but it's so good

Which part is daft and why?

1. If you take umbrage with the water comment I think spreadable butters are too watery, that's my opinion.
2. If it's the additive comment, OP mentioned Arla, and it rang some bells about them testing out a new additive. Even a simple Google shows that additives can impact the texture of butter.

How is any of that daft? My comment is perfectly reasonable.

Those spreadable butters have about 30% of the butter removed to be replaced by crap like rapeseed oil.

We keep butter in a butter dish in a cupboard.

Real butter all the way in our house.
I kept seeing reels of people making butter so decided to give it a go last week.
Took minutes to do and tasted fantastic, also slightly cheaper than shop bought so I'll be making my own from now on.

I keep debating doing this. May give it a try.
Did you use electric beaters?

I only use real butter in this house, I prefer salted butter but I’m being good and buying unsalted butter as my dh prefers it. I can always salt the butter if I feel the need…..

MightyMoog

I did use an electric whisk. Honestly it was so easy.

Normal butter is fine out. We live south Europe where is hot in summer. Buy unsalted butter ( as it’s hard to get salted). It’s never gone off or rancid.

In winter I will put 1/2- whole block butter out depending on who’s here.
In summer in just put out smaller amounts at a time, ie 1/4-1/3 block butter. So it’s only out a day or two, then topped up with butter from fridge. It’s never melted liquid, just don’t leave near a window or directly in sun.

Obviously leave out more or less butter if you have larger household or eat more than we might.

We swapped from lurpack spreadable to proper butter a year or so ago in a bid to reduce UPF. We have butter dish and it always seems to be spreadable. It tastes SO much better.

I'm with you OP! I've always had Lurpak, and like you tried the M&S one - gruesome! It was like wax or something. I aso think Lurpak is not as nice as it used to be but I couldn't say in what way.

I think it does get described as plastic doesn't it? It hardly melts either.

I've gone back to proper butter. You know where you are with proper butter.

Just make sure you rinse it thoroughly.

Signed,
Someone who learned that the hard way 😅

I returned the M&S spreadable butter and got a refund. It was a very strange texture and not spreadable at all

We have Danepak (Lidl) for sandwiches and lidl salted butter for when it will be tasted

I haven't found any spreadable butter that doesn't have something added (cream, oil) EXCEPT M&S. but you must buy the right one, not the one in a silvery tub

I was having thoughts about my Lidl dupe "danepak" this morning funnily enough,

It smells strongly like margarine. I suspect it probably is just marg. it's a while since I bought "proper" lurpak but remember that being nicer and more buttery. It is expensive though.

Well it’s not just buttery spread. My last lot of butter that i bought tastes like oil. This is supposed to be BUTTER. Apparently the farmers are adding palm oil, or some other oil to make it cheaper. I wonder if this allowed as it’s not on the ingredients list. Has anyone else noticed this. None of my cakes and pastries come out the same as they once did.