Lurpak madness or no?

[Downunderduchess]

I’ve just been updating my grocery app and went to put some butter in my basket. I realised how much it has increased in price. A 400gram tub of Lurpak is $9 AUD now. I think this is where I draw the line. It’s madness.

We used to buy Yeo Valley as standard (sorry, you probably don't have that in Aus, OP) - used it for spreading, baking, frying, adding to mash etc. - but since the tub size quietly decreased by 20% and the price went up by 33% too, we just leave it on the shelf now and only get own-brand.

I wonder where the tipping point comes, when the amount of people who are willing and able to keep paying loads more for loads less rapidly decreases, and profits start to plummet as stock just doesn't shift?

Makes no sense when you can buy Danepak from Lidl ( do you have Lidl?)

I stopped Lurpak and just get a block of butter in a butter dish. Nicer and cheaper.

But YABU for referring to 'spread in a tub' as butter. We only ever use block butter and just get whatever's cheapest, which hasn't gone up that much, you can still get 250 g of own brand for £2 in the UK.

I was wondering about this. I’m in NI and we do have Lurpak but it’s not really a big thing. I always assumed people were talking about proper butter and am a bit surprised to discover it’s a spread everyone raves about.

We use a block too. A 500g block of local butter (Ballyrashane) was on offer in the Spar for £3 a couple of weeks ago and I bought six blocks and stuck them in the freezer. But you can usually find proper butter reasonably priced somewhere anyway. I usually leave it on the counter and in winter cut a slice off and put it in the microwave on defrost to soften. Does the job.

I just buy block butter, I try and bulk buy when on offer, it was £1.60 for 250g the other day. We have also cut down on amount we use.

If I want spread in a tub it will be Président, which is softened with cream instead of oil.

Block butter I get Grahams from Home Bargains, or Kerrygold.

Never understood the appeal of Lurpak.

For me butter is a luxury anyway, not something I have everyday, and although I've tried other versions, I've come to the view that if im going to treat myself to butter it's going to be Lurpak.

I have given up on spreadable Lurpak because of the oils used. I have discovered that if I put normal butter in the microwave on the defrost setting for a few seconds it makes it perfectly spreadable.

Butter/spreads are quite pricey now...I always buy the supermarket brand now

Similar price to UK prices. It’s been an age since I lived in OZ, but there must be local alternatives for cheaper spreads / butters?

I love lurpak and is absolutely something I'm willing to spend my money on even if I know I'm getting ripped off

Why wouldn’t you just buy Australian butter?

The cost of dairy has gone up dramatically in Europe over the last 12 months due to weather and viral outbreaks in dairy herds.

Lurpak is nice, but I don't buy it on principle because of the 200g packsize. It's dishonest.

Lurpak is awful butter. A local butter with sea salt crystals would likely be cheaper and taste better. Your Lurpak is about the same price as ours depending on whether it's on offer. It's currently selling for £5 or 10.05 AUD in Waitrose (expensive) and on offer at £3.34 or 6.72 AUD instead of £4.52 or 9.09 AUD at Asda.

Country Life have also reduced the pack size by 20% to 200g.

Yes, I get supermarket own brand these days.

It’s just another brand, imo. Nothing special or different.

Yep me too ! It’s 100% better in terms of taste and so much cheaper.
Plus, because it comes in blocks you get to use a twee butter dish 🥰

I'd love to see the UK (can't personally speak for anywhere else) adopt the law that France has regarding manufacturers and shops not being allowed to get away with shrinkflation on the quiet.

Like with cigarette packets, I'd force manufacturers to use at least 70% of the packaging to proclaim in huge letters for a year that the pack is now X% or X grams smaller than it was previously. Obviously not for legitimate travel/mini size variants that are clearly meant to be noticeably much smaller and are already proportionally a lot cheaper.

I completely agree - although I don't know whether Lurpak ship their product from Europe or if they just produce it within Australia, using Australian produce, under the same brand?

It's even more asinine with things like New Zealand lamb on sale in the UK. Do we ship Welsh lamb all the way for sale in the Antipodes as well?

And Anchor.

I think Aldi stock different butter in different regions. Ours usually stocks west country butter but a few months ago we got Welsh butter instead. Both are good but the Welsh butter was better, lucky you if you live in Wales.

I have got to be honest when I think about the cost of living crisis i always think about the cost of Lurpak., as in if someone had to decide not to buy it anymore.

It’s insane

Depends on the brand. Countrylife is butter and rapeseed oil. What's wrong with that? I do agree that the price of butter, particularly some brands, has gone through the roof.