Anchor Butter Feedback Thread - see what Mumsnetters created with Anchor butter PLUS chance for non testers to win £250! NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

This is the feedback thread for the 250 Mumsnetters who have been trying out Anchor butter and the baking kits with their children. Non testers - do check out the feedback from the testers PLUS what's your favourite flavour cake? Chocolate, Victoria Sponge, Carrot, something else? Add your comment to this thread and you'll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £250 voucher to spend in John Lewis (imagine all the baking kit you could get!)

Here's what Anchor says: “We're looking forward to seeing what MNers have created with our rich and creamy block butter. We know it's perfect for all types of tasty bakes, whether it's making the pastry for your homemade chicken pie, or millionaires shortbread for that weekend treat with the kids. At Anchor we've been making block butter for over 125 years, to bring bakers high quality, rich and creamy butter for their bakes."

Plenty of recipe ideas here – including delicious
ginger biscuits or does anyone fancy
Cheese Scones for a snack?

Below are the questions we'd like testers to answer, but please feel free to add your own comments too.

1. What bakes did you and your DC create? Please post a photo or two on the thread of the finished result or of the baking session!

2. What was your child’s favourite aspect of the baking process? Getting messy, licking the bowl at the end or anything in between!

3. What was your favourite aspect of baking with your DC?

4. If you don't normally use Anchor, do you think that your bakes taste different when using Anchor butter compared to your normal butter? Please explain.

5. Do you normally use butter or margarine for baking? Do you usually use unsalted or salted butter for baking? How aware were you that using unsalted butter is great for baking?

6. Were you pleased with the results of your baking?

7. Would you use Anchor butter again for your baking? Why? Were you aware Anchor was the original block butter company having made butter for over 125 years? Is this important to you?

8. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend Anchor butter to friends and family? Why?

All testers who leaves their feedback on this thread and who complete the survey (emailed to testers) will be entered in to a prize draw, where one lucky Mumsnet tester will win a £300 John Lewis voucher.

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Closing date: Friday 8th May at 9am

1. What bakes did you and your DC create? We made choc chip cookies (her choice!)
2. What was your child’s favourite aspect of the baking process? Measuring the ingredients and linking the spoon/bowl of course!
3. What was your favourite aspect of baking with your DC? Sharing an enjoyable and fun experience, and also remembering how it was when I was a child with my own mum too
4. If you don't normally use Anchor, do you think that your bakes taste different when using Anchor butter compared to your normal butter? I only ever use unsalted Anchor or Lurpak butter in cooking/baking. I don't think there is much difference between the flavour (although the anchor is a little easier to blend) and I trust both brands
5. Do you normally use butter or margarine for baking? Do you usually use unsalted or salted butter for baking? How aware were you that using unsalted butter is great for baking? Unsalted butter, always. I rarely use salt myself so both my DDs routinely have a low/no added salt diet. If the recipe calls for salt I am happy to add a little for flavour.
6. Were you pleased with the results of your baking? Yes, they were very tasty and the cook was very even!
7. Would you use Anchor butter again for your baking? Why? Were you aware Anchor was the original block butter company having made butter for over 125 years? Is this important to you? I would definitely use Anchor again. I tend to buy Anchor or Lurpak depending on what purchase/discount deals are available. I trust the brand and its heritage. I grew up with it, and so will my girls.
8. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend Anchor butter to friends and family? Why? For the reasons above - it is a family brand with a strong heritage and I would definitely recommend it to friends/family.

I couldn't add photos with my original post so am trying again

1. What bakes did you and your DC create? Please post a photo or two on the thread of the finished result or of the baking session!

We made some double chocolate cupcakes! yummy!

2. What was your child’s favourite aspect of the baking process? Getting messy, licking the bowl at the end or anything in between!

My boys love baking so they enjoyed helping me measure out the ingredients, the stirring of the mixture and licking the bowl! (which was also my husbands!).

3. What was your favourite aspect of baking with your DC?

The quality time it gives me with my dc's.

4. If you don't normally use Anchor, do you think that your bakes taste different when using Anchor butter compared to your normal butter? Please explain.

I don't usually use butter in my baking unless a recipe really requires it because of the cost but I could definately notice the difference in flavour, it was delish.

6. Do you normally use butter or margarine for baking? Do you usually use unsalted or salted butter for baking? How aware were you that using unsalted butter is great for baking?

I usually use a well known brand of baking margarine as its cheaper and easier to work with, I find butter a bit stiff and baking is usually a spur of the moment thing. If I do use butter I use unsalted. Im aware its great for baking because of its natural creamy richness.

7. Were you pleased with the results of your baking?

Yes, my cupcakes tasted so rich and delicious. I could taste the difference to using margarine.

8. Would you use Anchor butter again for your baking? Why? Were you aware Anchor was the original block butter company having made butter for over 125 years? Is this important to you?

If I was going to use butter to bake and I'm being honest, I think I would go for a cheaper brand unless Anchor wasn't much dearer.

9. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend Anchor butter to friends and family? Why?

Yes I would as its delicious!

Got to be a really gooey banana loaf with chocolate bits in it, so moist it sticks to the roof of your mouth!

My favourite is carrot cake, dps is chocolate- weird man!

1. What bakes did you and your DC create? Please post a photo or two on the thread of the finished result or of the baking session!

We made rice krispie cakes, no baking involved but it was my DS's choice. We will hopefully make something else and will feedback again after the weekend.

2. What was your child’s favourite aspect of the baking process? Getting messy, licking the bowl at the end or anything in between!

Licking the spoon that had the golden syrup on it.

3. What was your favourite aspect of baking with your DC?

Spending some time together after school before the usual telly, dinner, bed etc.

4. If you don't normally use Anchor, do you think that your bakes taste different when using Anchor butter compared to your normal butter? Please explain.

I normally buy supermarket own brand butter as it's usually cheaper but will buy more branded stuff if it's on offer. I didn't notice any difference in the taste in the krispie cakes but you don't need that much butter so will try something different next time.

6. Do you normally use butter or margarine for baking? Do you usually use unsalted or salted butter for baking? How aware were you that using unsalted butter is great for baking?

I usually buy salted butter, only because I prefer the taste and I use butter anyway rather than margarine so it's what I have here already.

7. Were you pleased with the results of your baking?

Yes, although as I said above i'd like to make something harder next time.

8. Would you use Anchor butter again for your baking? Why? Were you aware Anchor was the original block butter company having made butter for over 125 years? Is this important to you?

I didn't know it was the original block butter, although I have bought the Anchor butter in the plastic packets before so I would certainly use block butter by Anchor again.

9. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend Anchor butter to friends and family? Why?

Yes, I liked the taste of it.

1. We baked Easy Chocolate Brownies from the Anchor website. I chose this as we had all of the ingredients already and it looked nice and easy.

2. The kids love baking, they wait eagerly for their turns at each stage but their very favourite bit is scraping the bowl clean at the end.

3. The best part for me was seeing them all enjoy an activity together without squabbling. They all behaved like angels for the whole hour - and then a while longer to eat the brownies.

4. I don't do much baking and am not very good at it, but this effort was definitely one of our best. Much creamier than usual.

5. We are a margarine family and usually use it to bake. I much preferred using Anchor block butter as the markings on the packet made it very easy to measure. The butter was melted in our recipe so it made no difference that it was a bit harder, the kids enjoyed cutting it into chunks - even my 2 yr old easily managed this.

6. I wasn't aware that unsalted butter was so nice to bake with, I don't usually buy butter. Yes I was really pleased with the results of my baking

7. Yes I would use Anchor butter again, I found it easy to bake with and after being a house of margarine for so long I REALLY enjoyed having buttery toast for the rest of the week. I didn't know that it was such an old company.

8. Yes, I would recommend to a friend.

Thanks very much for including me in this product test, we really enjoyed it.

my kiddies decided to make the Victoria sponge but neither of them like jam so we made the butter icing without jam and my daughter also made a minion biscuit for the top.

both my children love to cook I find its quality time with them, their favourite bit is breaking the eggs into the mixture and of course the tasting

I like anchor butter very much and it does taste creamy and made the cake taste lovely however it is expensive considering shop own brand butter is 1.00 less. I use butter all the time instead of margarine. I wasn't aware that you could use unsalted for baking I always thought to use salted for more flavour.

I think our cake tasted lovely and would love to buy anchor if it was a little cheaper. I always recommend to my friends to use butter :)

Apple or pear cake is my favourite cake (non-tester)

1. What bakes did you and your DC create? Please post a photo or two on the thread of the finished result or of the baking session!

DS is four and very keen on doing things by himself so we baked rock cakes.

2. What was your child’s favourite aspect of the baking process? Getting messy, licking the bowl at the end or anything in between!
   When I asked him what he enjoyed he enthusiastically told "All of it!". But I rather fear he enjoyed eating the ingredients! We were lucky there was something left to go in the oven.

3. What was your favourite aspect of baking with your DC?
   I love baking with DS. Apart from stopping him eating the cake mix when the raw egg's been added it's a relaxing and all round lovely way to spend some time together.

4. If you don't normally use Anchor, do you think that your bakes taste different when using Anchor butter compared to your normal butter? We do use Anchor as it's my favourite butter for toast and so it's always in the butter dish.

5. Do you normally use butter or margarine for baking? Do you usually use unsalted or salted butter for baking? How aware were you that using unsalted butter is great for baking?
   I never use marg for anything I really, really dislike the taste. I never understand why anyone would replace something as lovely as butter with something as horrible as marg. I'd rather eat less butter and enjoy what I do have.
   I always use salted butter on toast so we always have some at home. If I think it will make a real difference in a recipe I'll use unsalted but I don't have it in the fridge all of the time and so use it less.

6. Were you pleased with the results of your baking? Delighted!

7. Would you use Anchor butter again for your baking? Why? Were you aware Anchor was the original block butter company having made butter for over 125 years? Is this important to you?

We'd be more likely to use Anchor than not as it's my butter of choice of day to day use. I didn't know Anchor was the first company to sell blocks, you learn something every day. Heritage of a brand is important but I don't necessaiky let the influence my buying habits.

9. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend Anchor butter to friends and family? Why? Absolutely. It's one of my favourite butters and I use it every day.

Non-tester here!
Carrot cake all the way! With a 50/50 cake to icing ratio!

1. What bakes did you and your DC create? Please post a photo or two on the thread of the finished result or of the baking session!

We made a pink vanilla sponge with strawberry jam and white chocolate topping.

2. What was your child’s favourite aspect of the baking process? Getting messy, licking the bowl at the end or anything in between!

They loved weighing out and mixing the ingredients, especially the pink colour!

3. What was your favourite aspect of baking with your DC?

Quality time to chat and do something we enjoy.

4. If you don't normally use Anchor, do you think that your bakes taste different when using Anchor butter compared to your normal butter? Please explain.

I thought the cake was rich and tasty, but on par with other good quality butter.

6. Do you normally use butter or margarine for baking? Do you usually use unsalted or salted butter for baking? How aware were you that using unsalted butter is great for baking?

I always use unsalted butter for baking.

7. Were you pleased with the results of your baking?

Yes.

8. Would you use Anchor butter again for your baking? Why? Were you aware Anchor was the original block butter company having made butter for over 125 years? Is this important to you?

I would definitely use Anchor again as the cake was lovely. I was unaware of the company's history, it is not really important to me.

9. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend Anchor butter to friends and family? Why?

Yes because I liked the taste and the results of using it to bake.

The finished product

1. What bakes did you and your DC create? Please post a photo or two on the thread of the finished result or of the baking session! We made chocolate brownies and flapjacks.

2. What was your child’s favourite aspect of the baking process? Getting messy, licking the bowl at the end or anything in between! They enjoyed cracking eggs and licking the bowl best!

3. What was your favourite aspect of baking with your DC? Spending time with them without any screens - I wrote out the recipes on card. It was great to show them how things changed when we melted them, how mixture went from liquidy to solid when baked. We used it as a maths lesson too. (and they didn't even notice!)

4. If you don't normally use Anchor, do you think that your bakes taste different when using Anchor butter compared to your normal butter? Please explain. It gave our flapjacks a creamier richer flavour as we normally use an olive oil based spread to bake as it is what we have in the house.

5. Do you normally use butter or margarine for baking? Do you usually use unsalted or salted butter for baking? How aware were you that using unsalted butter is great for baking? Normally olive oil spread or stork for sponge cakes but always salted butter for icing.

6. Were you pleased with the results of your baking? Yes and so were the teachers we took them to.

7. Would you use Anchor butter again for your baking? Why? Were you aware Anchor was the original block butter company having made butter for over 125 years? Is this important to you? Not sure, it costs considerably more than unbranded butter and I'm not sure anyone would really notice the difference.

8. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend Anchor butter to friends and family? Why? Yes, because of this trial and the fact it helped us make pretty tasty cakes!

Tester here :)

1. What bakes did you and your DC create? Please post a photo or two on the thread of the finished result or of the baking session!

We made a crazy squares cake on the DCs request after seeing a photo of one on the web. We also mixed by hand as both DCs don't like my mixer (too noisy)

2. What was your child’s favourite aspect of the baking process? Getting messy, licking the bowl at the end or anything in between!

DS(7) enjoyed the weighing, mixing, colouring the batter & the decorating.
DD(4) liked licking the spoon, colouring the batter, washing up(!) & the decorating.

3. What was your favourite aspect of baking with your DC?

I enjoyed speniding decent quality time with them both at the same time - this can be hard with our busy lives.
This cake required 6 differently coloured layers & by the last couple of layers, they could make it themselves for me to put in the oven. Two very proud DCs having made something entirely on their own.

4. If you don't normally use Anchor, do you think that your bakes taste different when using Anchor butter compared to your normal butter? Please explain.

I normally use supermarket own brand butter for baking. We didnt notice an difference in taste, but it was much easier to cream by hand with the sugar.

6. Do you normally use butter or margarine for baking? Do you usually use unsalted or salted butter for baking? How aware were you that using unsalted butter is great for baking?
   I always use unsalted butter for baking, unless our dairy-free friends are visiting, then I use Pure spread. I've found that butter gives the best tasting results.

7. Were you pleased with the results of your baking?
   Absolutely - colours turned out well and the cake & buttercream (using Anchor) taste delicious.

8. Would you use Anchor butter again for your baking? Why? Were you aware Anchor was the original block butter company having made butter for over 125 years? Is this important to you?

I would buy Anchor again if it was on a good offer - it's quite a bit more expensive than my usual butter. Anchors history was known to me as my mum always uses it. Price is usually my deciding factor when buying.

9. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend Anchor butter to friends and family? Why?

I might reccommend it - me & my friends would tend to use stand or electric hand mixers, so easy creaming isn't an issue.

Non-tester here and love Victoria Sandwich or a marble cake. The buttercream icing is an all important must!

My personal favourite is a flourless chocolate swiss roll, with a double layer filling: whipped cream, and coffee buttercream. I make this, slice it, wrap it in greaseproof paper & freeze it. It works brilliantly I don't have to worry about a whole cake sitting around calling to me. It's a recipe I got from my mum, I think it's adapted from an 80's "Chocolate Cooking" cookbook.

I also like a normal victoria sponge, with jam, complementary fresh fruit, AND slightly sweetened whipped cream. Adding a touch of icing sugar to the cream when it's nearly whipped, seems to stabilise it slightly.

I love the feedback from the testers! So many of the pictures & suggestions are inspiring, and everyone's DCs are so beautiful! Can't wait for DD to get a little bit older so she can take more of an active part in the kitchen.

We made a simple biscuit recipe from BBC good food mag, the "tried" to turn them into dinosaurs..

My son loved mixing the ingredients and generally making a mess, but decorating with melted chocolate and sweets was his favourite part! We don't really bake together that often, something I ought to do more I know, but it was an enjoyable way to spend an hour or two together.

I normally use Lurpak- I think this butter seemed slightly creamier maybe, but other than that I didn't notice much of a difference.

I always use unsalted butter- although I'm not actually aware that unsalted is better for baking. I always naturally choose the "healthier" option, and obviously less salt is better than more.

I would use this butter again. (Although our biscuits didn't look pretty they tasted great!) it is just habit that I have bought Lurpak for years.

As for recommending butter, I don't think this is something I would do as I very much doubt that butter choice would ever crop up in conversation! I also didn't distinguish enough of a difference between this or any other butter to make it stand out.
I would, and have talked about the trial I have taken part in, and we both enjoyed taking part.

I also had absolutely no idea that Anchor butter has been established for so long. Longevity in a brand is something I would consider with success- equalling to a good product in my mind, but as I stated- I had no idea it has been going for so long so had no opinion on it before hand.

1. What bakes did you and your DC create? Please post aphoto or twoon the thread of the finished result or of the baking session!
   We decided to make our favourite brownies! Lots of butter required!!!

2. What was your child’s favourite aspect of the baking process? Getting messy, licking the bowl at the end or anything in between!
   Definitely picking the bowl!

3. What was your favourite aspect of baking with your DC?
   having fun together and getting messy!

4. If you don't normally use Anchor, do you think that your bakes taste different when using Anchor butter compared to your normal butter? Please explain.
   I usually use another leading brand for baking but only because it's what I have in all the time. I think the bake was slightly more rich thus time using Anchor.

5. Do you normally use butter or margarine for baking? Do you usually use unsalted or salted butter for baking? How aware were you that using unsalted butter is great for baking? I use butter. And it's usually 'slightly salted'. I know alot of recipes use unsalted. It's habit using different I guess!

6. Were you pleased with the results of your baking? Yes!

7. Would you use Anchor butter again for your baking? Why? Were you aware Anchor was the original block butter company having made butter for over 125 years? Is this important to you?
   Yes I'd use again. I do look for offers and buy then but as my normal butter is more expensive than Anchor I'd definitely look to use Anchor in my baking next time to save some pennies!!
   No I didn't know it had been around that long but if it's stood the testament of time then that's a good sign in my book.

8. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend Anchor butter to friends and family? Why? Yes I would. It was easy to use, melted nicely, consistency was creamy and tasted super!!!!

i love to bake cupcakes and let the children go wild decorating them yummy.

NON TESTER

Non Tester, but I LOVE Blackforest Gateaux!!!

1. What bakes did you and your DC create? Please post a photo or two on the thread of the finished result or of the baking session!

We made Heston Blumenthal's golden syrup cookies from Heston at Home. I would have gone for something a bit more unfamiliar or photogenic like some other posters' pretty cakes, but DS has very fixed views and whenever asked "what shall I bake for class party/school cake sale/birthday party?" he always insists on these, so it seemed reasonable for them to be his first foray into baking.

2. What was your child’s favourite aspect of the baking process? Getting messy, licking the bowl at the end or anything in between!

He loves it when things go wrong, so enjoyed the cookies that ended up looking more like amoeba than biscuits.

His very favourite bit was watching the mixture swirl aroud in the blender.

3. What was your favourite aspect of baking with your DC?

I'd fallen into the trap of only baking with my DD, so shamefully this was the first time DS and I had ever baked together. It was great to see him learning, though because I'd left it so long he made as much mess as a toddler.

Thanks to MNHQ and Anchor for prompting me to do this with him.

4. If you don't normally use Anchor, do you think that your bakes taste different when using Anchor butter compared to your normal butter? Please explain.

To be honest this recipe is so heavy on the sugar and golden syrup that the particular choice of butter didn't make much odds.

6. Do you normally use butter or margarine for baking? Do you usually use unsalted or salted butter for baking? How aware were you that using unsalted butter is great for baking?

I normally use unsalted butter. All my baking books specify unsalted butter and I normally comply, but most of them then require a pinch of salt - or in this case an entire teaspoon so I do sometimes wonder what the point is - especially since DS and I much prefer salted butter on toast. In this particular case the supermarket only had unsalted in stock so I had no choice.

7. Were you pleased with the results of your baking?

Yes, it's a pretty foolproof recipe as long as you keep an eye on the oven to make sure they don't over bake - they always come out delicious and gooey - although a bit plain. The grandparents are visiting so it was lovely to have homemade biscuits to offer them.

8. Would you use Anchor butter again for your baking? Why? Were you aware Anchor was the original block butter company having made butter for over 125 years? Is this important to you?

I might. Which brand to go for is one of those slightly tricky shopping questions (if you're in the mood to over-think your butter choices, which I'm usually not), because whilst I'm generally in favour of eating locally produced food and supporting British farmers; the "old" New Zealand produced Anchor was from entirely grass-fed cows, whilst the "new" British produced Anchor butter is more grain-fed which is less good from a food-snob POV, and perhaps an environmental POV. The recent move to the UK means that I'm less swayed by the heritage than I might otherwise be.

9. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend Anchor butter to friends and family? Why?

It's fine, but I wouldn't recommend it over other brands. For pure taste on bread I go for President. DS preferred it to our normal stuff though, and ate much the left over sliver with his fingers.

1. What bakes did you and your DC create? Please post a photo or two on the thread of the finished result or of the baking session!

We made lovely moist brownies, recipe from Anchor's own site. www.anchordairy.co.uk/recipes/chocolate-sponge Didn't bother doing the icing though, too much extra work!

2. What was your child’s favourite aspect of the baking process? Getting messy, licking the bowl at the end or anything in between!

They love all of it - from cracking the eggs to sieving in the flour then pouring the mixture into the tray to bake.

3. What was your favourite aspect of baking with your DC?

Really good fun, we chat, they learn about food and it keeps them away from the TV.

4. If you don't normally use Anchor, do you think that your bakes taste different when using Anchor butter compared to your normal butter? Please explain.

I'm not sure it tastes different as I've never done this recipe before but it was creamy to handle and the end result really delicious!

6. Do you normally use butter or margarine for baking? Do you usually use unsalted or salted butter for baking? How aware were you that using unsalted butter is great for baking?

Yes normally use unsalted butter. Sometimes a baking block from Stork

7. Were you pleased with the results of your baking?

Yes, absolutely delicious

8. Would you use Anchor butter again for your baking? Why? Were you aware Anchor was the original block butter company having made butter for over 125 years? Is this important to you?

I would use again but only if it was at a promotional price.

9. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend Anchor butter to friends and family? Why?

Yes I would

1. We decided to make chocolate brownies in a bid to use up the last of the Easter chocolate (before I are it all!)

2. my dd loved to measure out the ingredients and lick the bowl

3. being creative teaching skills and having fun

4. definitely much creamier

5. We usually use Tesco butter and I'm a huge fan of butter over marg for baking with

6. yes indeed

7. yes I would use anchor again providing it was priced competitively against supermarket own brands.

8. I would suggest yes. Certainly for this recipe.