What spread/butter/margarine do you use?

[OpalQuartz]

Is it still called margarine? I'm looking for one that is spreadable, tastes like butter and not too unhealthy. Any suggestions are welcome.

Butter, always.
more and more research saying that butter is the way.

Butter.
IMO margarine is only one step away from plastic. I'd rather have something natural than chemical thanks.

Only ever butter. Kerrygold salted for sandwiches/everyday. Unsalted for baking - Irish ballyrashane if I get it on ocado, lurpak if not. It's hard to get kerrygold unsalted but I think it is the best. Grass fed cattle mke uh nicer dairy (and steak!)

I use kerrygold salted for baking / cooking
M&S spreadable butter for bread etc

Spreadable butter - not low fat. Whichever is on offer but tends to be anchor, lurpak or countrylife.

I read an article once that if all the spreads available that weren't butter the tesco olive oil one is the best, does anyone know if that is true please?

Yeo Valley salted.

If butter is left out in a butter dish, how long before it goes off? (My kitchen is cool in winter but warm in summer.)

I don't think that our butter has ever gone off. We probably get through at least a pound a week just on toast, sandwiches etc and much more when I'm baking.

I had a look at the ingredients of some softer butters and the only well known ones that didn't have veg oil were the spreadable President, which as Wildthong mentioned above only has Butter, Cream, Salt and also Kerrygold Softer butter which contains only butter but apparently is spreadable because of the way it has been churned to make it softer.

Might try some of the ones belledejour mentioned in a butter dish if not spreadable.

Going to order one of these butter dishes.

Quite a lot to choose from in Waitrose!
www.ocado.com/webshop/getSearchProducts.do?clearTabs=yes&isFreshSearch=true&entry=butter

Just found one that is British, softer, no veg oil
www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Loseley-Naturally-Softer-Butter/50078011?from=search&tags&param=butter&parentContainer=SEARCHbutter_SHELFVIEW

Hmm it would seem the NHS hasn't caught up with the latest thinking on butter being healthier than spreads. Just saw a Change 4 Life ad on TV where they were recommending people swap butter for low fat spread and had a look at the Change 4 Life leaflet my dd came home with last week and it says the same thing. Wonder why they are saying that.

Change 4 Life is all about reducing calorific intake (very misguided policy IMHO, it's too many carbs that make people fat, not calories). Low fat spreads have fewer calories than butter.

ooh, thanks for the no-veg-oil link. Problem with veg oils is the solvent residues, I try to minimise.

We have been buying Pure because it was the lowest salt. We don't have a warm house so no way butter on counter will spread except in hot weather.

There are a lot of myths here about what's in margarine. Read thread critically.

Last time I checked they had taken the trans fats out of most marg. Not that I'm promoting its consumption, but those with a diary allergy don't have much choice.

I like Pure spread. It doesn't have any trans fats in it. Here are the ingredients for the sunflower version:

Ingredients
Sunflower Oil (40%), Water, Vegetable Oils, Salt (0.75%), Natural Flavouring, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Colour (Natural Carotenes), Vitamin D as D2, Vitamin B12.

Dietary Information
Free From Genetically Modified Ingredients
Free From Artificial Colours
Free From Artificial Preservatives
Free From Emulsifiers
Free From Dairy
Free From GM Ingredients
Free From Hydrogenated Oils
Free From Soya
Free From Gluten

We do also have butter (British, unsalted, not the spreadable type because it's got lots of vegetable oil in it) but when I use butter I spread it thicker because it tastes so lovely! Using a thin smear of Pure on a sandwich or toast when it's going to have something else spread on it too (e.g. Marmite, jam, marmalade) is an easier way to keep the calories down and doesn't really affect the overall taste.

Flora has negligible trans fats too. This is an interesting overview of the history of all this.

Change 4 Life has almost zero credibility as far as I can see. Swop butter for low fat, swop sugar for artificial sweeteners. Ahhh. Apparently it is funded at least in part by large global companies such as Nestle.

Artificial sweeteners are vile! Much better to re-train the taste buds not to expect so much sweetness in the diet.

Butter contains a small % of transfats, too, most animal fat sources have some.

It's very 1980s to think that margarine is just hydrogenated fats. I read that Flora hasn't been made with hydrogenated fat for the last 20 yrs. Most margarines in UK don't contain hydrogenated fats (look for yourself). The other ingredients are things like vitamins, carotenes (what makes carrots orange) and a tiny amount of flavourings.