The price of butter and general price rises

[FlatteredFool]

My favourite Kerrygold has just jumped from £1.90 to £2.00. We use a lot of it with the dcs' toast addiction. The price of butter has risen steadily over the years but that's a big jump. Is Brexit to blame as it's imported from Ireland? I've noticed things increasing in general but not to this extent all at once. It is it covid related? Or is butter a luxury now?

@MinesAMassiveSalad

I noticed a US youtuber I follow using Kerrygold. I guess they are successfully selling as a luxury brand ("grass fed"!) into a massive market there and can charge accordingly.

Just wait until the American "influencers discover what real cheese tastes like. As opposed to those plastic slices.

Try Lidl's spreadable butter with Cornish sea salt 🤤. It's like £1.20 and the best one I've tried!

I fear trouble is ahead...

On what grounds are your fears based and what form do you think the “trouble” will take?

@Stircraazy

The Common Agricultural Policy farm subsidies Stopped Jan 2021 (now we are out of the Eu). Perhaps this is affecting prices. The Gov wouldn't have expected a lorry driver shortage when that plan was made! Rewilding the land etc is the plan - and we rely on imports.

The UK is still paying subsidies to farmers.

@Berkeys

It’s Brexit. My EU-based relatives have not had any price rises and very minimal supply chain issues compared to here.

The lorry driver shortage is a worldwide problem (except for Africa). BIFA were warning of shortages three years ago, with Germany needing to recruit 45-60k and France 43k drivers. There's only so many Ukrainians who can be brought in to fill the gap. Poland's shortage dwarfs the UK's at 124k vacancies. Further afield, Australian firms have been warning of shortages since at least 2019.

@elbea

The obvious solution is to buy British butter produced by British farmers.

Is it? Because if you stop buying from other countries how long do you think it takes before they stop buying from yours?

Just wait until the American "influencers discover what real cheese tastes like. As opposed to those plastic slices

Are you unaware that America makes some fantastic cheese?

@Stircraazy it’s unlikely, farmers are still receiving equivalent payments from the British government. They’ll be cut to 50% by 2024 and when the new ELMS scheme is likely to be up and running.

@ManifestDestinee yes it is. If you can’t afford imported butter buy local butter.

Butter is one of the main exports Ireland has with the UK. Ireland’s main import from the UK is medicine. Somehow I don’t think they are going to stop importing medicine if people in the UK choose to eat local butter.

[quote elbea]@ManifestDestinee yes it is. If you can’t afford imported butter buy local butter.

Butter is one of the main exports Ireland has with the UK. Ireland’s main import from the UK is medicine. Somehow I don’t think they are going to stop importing medicine if people in the UK choose to eat local butter.[/quote]
UK exports to Ireland were down 47% in the first quarter of 2021. From Ireland to the UK it was just a 4.4% slump. The Irish pharma market is booming and the main trade is within the EU now, not with the UK. Brexit has ruined the UK Ireland pharma chain.
You're not up to speed on what is actually happening. Plus Irish butter is better!

I thought something like 70% of all milk products consumed from UK came from Norn, so all the disruption in Norn, including the reliance on cross-border processing, could be factors in rising prices.

Add in wage rises... the real disposable income could come down.

I'm pretty sure that per 100 kcal, butter is still very cheap, excellent value.

If 227g of butter cost £2, that's £2 for 1628 calories, or 12.3 pence per 100 kcal. Besides flour, bread, pasta, vegetable oil and rice -- tell me what food is cheaper for 100 kcal of calories.

If there is an international shortage of drivers it must be other things contributing.

I wonder if it is partly the demise of small shops and thejust in time delivery of goods. Before Amazon, shops had a stockroom filled with stock, likewise the builders yard was stocked with wood, supermarket staff would look through the back if something had run out on the shop floor etc. Now it's just in time delivery as it's cheaper than holding stockrooms of goods .
A glitch in deliveries at the port - tanker stuck in Suez Canal, covid at Chinese ports, shortage of drivers and surprise!!!! We run out of goods.

@Gingerkittykat

Price increases I have noticed over the past few weeks in Asda.

L'or coffee, normally on offer for £2.50 and is now £3.
Milk has gone from £1 to £1.10 for 2l.
Rocket has gone from 50p to 55p.
LLoyd Grossman has gone from £1 (always on offer) to £1.15.
Asda own brand butter is £1.48 today, so one thing that has not risen in price.

I also shop at Asda, & have noticed since first lockdown that the Loyd Grossman pasta sauces are on offer for £1 less often. Have just seen they are £1 at the moment, so might be time to book a delivery!

Their Gold Blend coffee 200g used to be about £2.25 & surprisingly dropped down to £2 for a long time, I stocked up on a few jars as it seemed ridiculously cheap. Haven't bought any for a few months, possibly even a year, looked just now & it has gone up to £2.70, quite a jump.

The thing I have noticed more than price rises is that a lot of the Everyday Value range has disappeared over the last year or so, I used to buy the sweet pickle (chutney) that was about 30p, suddenly wasn't available & cheapest alternative is over twice the price, & I don't like it as much. The value coffee was drinkable, & the jaffa cakes were ok and less than 30p.

oops, Smartprice, I should have put, not Everyday Value which was Tesco, who withdrew the whole range some time ago.

I'm trying hard to use what I have in the pantry and freezer. Today I made a menu for the next 8 days and did my online shop accordingly. I've got lentil and vegetable soup simmering on the stove and bread dough rising. Yesterday I made raspberry muffins for dc to take to school/after school snack. I use

@lljkk

I thought something like 70% of all milk products consumed from UK came from Norn, so all the disruption in Norn, including the reliance on cross-border processing, could be factors in rising prices.

Add in wage rises... the real disposable income could come down.

I'm pretty sure that per 100 kcal, butter is still very cheap, excellent value.

If 227g of butter cost £2, that's £2 for 1628 calories, or 12.3 pence per 100 kcal. Besides flour, bread, pasta, vegetable oil and rice -- tell me what food is cheaper for 100 kcal of calories.

Where / what is Norn?

@takehomepay Northern Ireland

@qualitygirl

Irish person here, brought up on Kerrygold and even I opt for the aldi real butter brand as it's cheaper...and in my opinion tastes the same 👍

Im the same, but then thought it's possible that own brand Aldi in Britain is different. I think our own brand is irish (and possibly kerry gold in disguise!!)

@takehomepay Phonetically Northern Ireland, perhaps short for NornEyeLand?

Thanks Flattered, Zilla! I thought it might be that but Google gave no joy!

rish person here, brought up on Kerrygold and even I opt for the aldi real butter brand as it's cheaper...and in my opinion tastes the same

Well yeah, aldi butter in Ireland is Irish butter. It's not british butter. It's analogous to KErrygold.

I sometimes hear it in a Paisley voice and sometimes in an Adams voice (though not in an actor's voice reading the words of Adams. Having heard a documentary about R4 The Day Today, I'm surprised the UK Government didn't make the actor reading the words inhale Helium first).

@Redarrow2017 I was waiting for someone to say this. If I see cream on special, I often make butter. Its really the easiest thing. Making cultured butter out of creme fraiche is awesome too!

The KitchenAid makes easy work of making butter. I'm going to try some different flavoured ones. Does anyone remember the lurpak chilli and lime one that was around in 2003/4? It was amazing on baked potatoes. I've got chilli flakes and a lime in my shopping order today along with jersey cream. I love parsley butter on potatoes too. Dc demand to know what that green stuff is and pull faces 🙄