The Rise of Flavoured Butter in Modern Kitchens
Soft, slightly-salted and spread thick on a slice of sourdough… it’s hard to beat a good slab of butter. And we can’t get enough of the stuff: in 2024, 233,000 tonnes of butter were consumed in Britain alone, while sales of blocks of butter increased by six per cent. But these days it’s not just salted or unsalted we’re spreading on our toast. Flavoured butter is the ingredient du jour among discerning home cooks and trendy chefs, with all the leading supermarkets bringing out their own weird and wonderful flavours.
From savoury options – such as garlic and herb or smoked paprika – to sweet blends, like chocolate, cinnamon bun and even coffee, you can now buy butter infused with almost anything. At Waitrose, flavoured butters are flying off the shelves, with sales up 39 per cent over the past 12 weeks alone. Fans are pairing them with everything from steaks to pancakes, with butter becoming something of a status symbol among the TikTok generation.
A recent editorial in The New York Times described unwrapping a block of Kerrygold – the brand of choice for reality stars the Kardashians – as an ‘almost transcendent’ experience, while social media chef Thomas Straker has built a career, with a 5.2 million-strong following, on his love of butter. In 2023, he co-founded All Things, a booming butter business based on a dairy farm in Somerset, which sold over 100,000 packs in its first 10 weeks and is now stocked nationwide.
Straker’s co-founder and CEO, Toby Hopkinson, says the appeal of butter lies in familiarity and nostalgia – whether plain, salted or spiked with an unusual flavour. ‘It’s versatile, accessible and rooted in high-quality dairy, so it feels both indulgent and every day,’ he says. ‘Butter has always been a kitchen staple, but we wanted to show people it’s a hero ingredient.’
Such is the modern-day obsession with butter that The Pembroke, the new members’ club for the super-rich (fees start at £3,250) which opens in London later this year, has recently advertised for a ‘butter sommelier’ to source, promote and pair high-end butter at the venue. A club insider tells the Daily Mail: ‘It’s really a sign of the times. There’s a sommelier for wine, a barista for coffee, so why not butter? We think that level of detail matters.’
As butter prices continue to rise, due to a decline in milk production and increased production costs, you can expect to pay more for a block of the gold stuff, too. Plain butter prices now range between 74p and £1.16 per 100g, while flavoured packs can set you back several times this: between £5 and a whopping £11.11 per 100g.
So does flavoured butter live up to the hype? SARAH RAINEY puts the viral dairy products to the test.
Salty Delights
M&S Small Batch Parmigiano Reggiano and Truffle Butter (£3.75, 100g, ocado.com)
Churned at a dairy in Somerset, and said to be ‘delicious melted over a fillet steak’, this premium M&S butter is 82 per cent dairy, mixed with parmesan, black truffle, truffle oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice. The pack is small, but it’s certainly indulgent: one 10g serving contains 7.2g fat (4.6g saturated fat) and 0.3g salt, as well as 67 calories.
TASTE TEST:
The overwhelming flavour – and smell – emanating from this tiny pat of butter is cheese. It’s more cheesy feet than fancy parmesan, but the taste is more appealing. Tangy and nutty, with hints of woody truffle and zesty lemon, it’s absolutely delicious – like a fancy sauce I’ve spent hours slaving over. Forget saving it for steak; this would be mouth-watering melted over a bowl of chips.
SCORE:
4/5
All Things Garlic and Herb Butter (£2.85, 115g, allthingsbutter.co.uk)
The original garlic and herb butter, the All Things version comes in a decent-sized pack (just under half the size of a regular block of butter). Made from 100 per cent British cream, at an artisan dairy in Somerset, it’s hand-salted and double-churned, which the makers claim gives an extra-creamy flavour. It’s 88 per cent dairy, with lemon juice, garlic powder, paste and oil, salt, parsley and mint oil, and each 10g serving contains 7.3g fat, 0.2g salt and 68 calories.
TASTE TEST:
Vibrant in colour and flecked with fresh parsley, this butter looks appetising from the moment I unwrap the eye-catching packaging. The garlic is fragrant without being over-powering, and the addition of mint and lemon give it a refreshing, citrussy twist. It is undeniably creamy – I could spread this thick on a cracker and eat it on a cheeseboard.
SCORE:
5/5
Sublime Flavoured Butter No 11: Lemon, Caper and Dill (£4.50, 90g, sublimebutter.com)
Sublime Creations has been making flavoured butter since 2019 and specialises in small-batch, grass-fed cows from a Somerset farm. Though tiny, its pats pack a flavoursome punch and the company prides itself on coming up with ‘ridiculous’ flavours, including lobster, crab, caviar, lemon and fennel butter (£42 for 180g) and chocolate, cherries, biscotti and amaretto butter (£38 for 180g).
This one, made from 87.7 per cent dairy, lemon juice, dill, parsley, capers and salt, is said to be an ideal pairing for seafood. Per 10g, it contains 62.9 calories, 7.1g fat and 0.18g salt.
TASTE TEST:
Sour, lemony and bursting with herby flavours, it’s very strongly-flavoured. The dill makes it taste earthy, rather than pleasant, and I’m left feeling like I have a mouthful of grass. It’s lacking in subtlety and would dominate a fillet of fish; I can still taste it several hours later.
SCORE:
2/5
Flora Plant-Based Smoked Garlic Butter (£1.75, 125g, sainsburys.co.uk)
A rare vegan offering in the flavoured butter trend, this Flora product is made from sunflower and rapeseed oil, coconut fat, water, salt, and a variety of flavourings, colourants and emulsifiers. The artificial additives are off-putting, as is the fact that there’s no real garlic in there. Instead, the ingredients lists ‘faba bean preparation’, a broad bean mixture said to make it taste creamy. Per 10g serving, it contains 71 calories, 7.9g fat and 0.15g salt.
TASTE TEST:
My husband is lactose-intolerant, so I’d been looking forward to using this plant-based butter in our dinner, over a pan of sauteed mushrooms. But I’m sorely disappointed. The garlic flavour is almost non-existent, there’s no smokiness whatsoever, and despite using half the block, it does nothing to flavour the dish. Give me real butter – or a punchy flavoured oil – any day; this wasn’t worth the money.
SCORE:
1/5
Sublime Flavoured Butter No 19: Bearnaise Butter (£4.50, 90g, sublimebutter.com)
Another offering from Sublime Creations, this bearnaise butter is designed to take the effort out of making the creamy sauce at home. It’s 92.2 per cent butter – the highest of any of the flavoured products I tested – blended with tarragon vinegar, tarragon, sea salt, lemon juice, bay leaves and white pepper. Said to be perfect atop steaks, chicken or prawns, it contains 66 calories, 7.5g fat and 0.15g salt per 10g serving.
TASTE TEST:
Utterly sensational. Buttery, rich, rounded and packed full of subtle herb flavours, this truly is sublime. I will never bother making a bearnaise sauce again; this velvety-smooth butter melts perfectly over a steak and is worth every penny of the £4.50 I paid for the teeny-tiny pat. Tell no-one, but I could eat it with a spoon.
SCORE:
5/5
Asda Garlic and Herb Butter (£2.10, 90g, asda.com)
Made from British milk at a Welsh dairy, this Asda-branded butter contains 94 per cent dairy, as well as garlic powder, salt, parsley and garlic oil. I’m disappointed by the lack of real ingredients – just powders and oils – but it’s a tempting option for the upcoming BBQ season, ideal for basting grilled meat or fish. Per 10g serving, it contains 75 calories, 8.1g fat (4g saturated) and 0.12g salt.
TASTE TEST:
There’s a strong garlicky smell when I open the butter, but the flavour doesn’t match it – it’s pleasant enough, but you’d need a huge chunk to taste the seasoning. The texture is oily rather than creamy, with a slight grittiness in my mouth. Still, as a handy shortcut, it’s not a bad option to have in the fridge.
SCORE:
3/5
Sublime Flavoured Butter No 33: Clawson Farms Stilton Butter (£20, 180g, sublimebutter.com)
One of the ‘ridiculous’ flavours in the British brand’s range, this collaboration with Clawson Farms, the Melton Mowbray-based cheesemaker, contains a range of upmarket ingredients: stilton cheese, beef dripping, white truffle and confit garlic. According to the packaging, there’s also goose fat, lemon, herbs and seasoning in there. While the price is steep, it’s a versatile butter – you can stuff it inside the skin of a roast chicken, mix it through glazed carrots or serve it with your poshest cheese and crackers.
TASTE TEST:
This fancy butter comes in a tin, rather than a pat, making it scoopable with a spoon. It’s smooth and creamy, with a consistency between thick double cream and regular butter, and flecks of bluey-green from the cheese. The stilton is pungent and piquant – a little too strong for me – and it’s exceptionally rich with the truffle and garlic, too. One to save for (very) special occasions.
SCORE:
4/5
Spicy Flavours
Waitrose No 1 Smoked Paprika and Chilli Blended Butter (£2.50, 100g, waitrose.com)
Sales of this spicy butter, which launched last year, have spiked by 75 per cent in the past 12 weeks, making it one of the supermarket’s most popular dairy products. It’s churned by hand on a family farm, from West Country butter, and contains lime juice, smoked paprika, garlic, salt and three types of chilli. Per serving, it contains 71 calories, 7.6g fat (5.3g saturated, which is very high) and 0.22g salt.
TASTE TEST:
There’s a big hit of heat from this butter, and I can taste the chilli flakes and chipotle powder, as well as the smoky paprika. Emma Wingrove, Waitrose’s butter buyer, suggests stirring it through scrambled eggs for breakfast, but it also gives a delicious kick to my cheese toastie.
SCORE:
5/5
The Yorkshire Kitchen Cajun Butter (£6, 90g, theyorkshirekitchen.com)
This butter business, based in Yorkshire, was born out of a love of brandy butter, and the husband-and-wife team behind it started producing savoury butters in 2024. The Cajun blend – which has won a Great Taste Award – is made from 72.1 per cent butter, combined with vegetable oil, lemon, mixed spices, mustard, garlic and parsley. Unusually for a flavoured butter, it can be frozen, and it’s said to be great melted on sweetcorn or stirred through pasta.
TASTE TEST:
Subtly spicy, with a lovely mellow heat, this orange-tinged butter is scrumptious. It’s got just the right balance of creaminess and chilli heat, and the vegetable oil makes it more spreadable than other brands. My only complaint is the size of the pat: at 90g, it disappears too quickly.
SCORE:
5/5
Sublime Flavoured Butter No 8: Red Chilli, Smoked Salt and Lime (£4.50, 90g, sublimebutter.com)
Lime juice is the main ingredient in this flavoured butter (85.1 per cent dairy), followed by chilli, smoked paprika, garlic and two kinds of salt – smoked and pink Himalayan. The makers claim it can be added to ‘any dish you can think of’, which is a bold statement. Nutrition-wise, it contains 61 calories per 10g, as well as 6.9g fat and 0.2g salt.
TASTE TEST:
Seriously spicy, just a tiny taste of this butter sets my mouth on fire for a good 10 minutes. The flavours are good – not dissimilar to a spicy margarita – but they’re dominated by the red chilli. Once that fades, I can taste smokiness and freshness from the lime, but it’s short-lived.
SCORE:
3/5
The Yorkshire Kitchen Peppercorn Butter (£6, 90g, theyorkshirekitchen.com)
Creamy Yorkshire butter blended with black peppercorns sounds like a match made in heaven – and certainly the perfect pairing for a good steak. This one is made from 65.6 per cent dairy, vegetable oil, brandy, onion and just 1.8 per cent peppercorns. But once again the pat is very small (just 90g) and the price is high (£6).
TASTE TEST:
Far too subtle for my palate – and probably no wonder, given the tiny proportion of peppercorns in the ingredients list. While the brandy gives a gentle sweetness, it’s not the ‘warm and peppery’ flavour that’s promised on the packaging. It needs several extra grinds of pepper, and some salt, to finish it off.
SCORE:
2/5
Sweet Treats
M&S Somerset Butter with Maple Syrup (£3.20, 150g, ocado.com)
A sumptuous-sounding blend of salted British butter, rich maple syrup and salt, this comes in a pot and lasts several months (though you’ll have to gobble it up seven days after opening). Though sweet, it’s not just for desserts – you can serve it with pancakes and bacon, or try stirring it through roasted root veggies. Per 10g serving, it contains 60 calories, 5.7g fat and 0.19g salt, so it’s not horribly unhealthy.
TASTE TEST:
M&S have nailed it with this clever blend, which pairs sweet syrup and salty butter in just the right ratio. The earthy maple notes stop it from being too sweet, and the butter is deliciously creamy. I would have liked it runnier, but a quick blast in the microwave and it’s the perfect consistency for drizzling.
SCORE:
4/5
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Honeycomb and Salted Caramel Butter (£1.90, 90g, sainsburys.co.uk)
Made from 75 per cent British dairy, salted caramel sauce, icing sugar, honeycomb pieces and sea salt, this super-sweet butter is definitely an indulgence. It contains 66 calories, 6.7g fat and 0.12g salt per 10g serving – and reviewers claim it’s a revelation on toast or a bagel.
TASTE TEST:
Artificial-tasting, overly-sweet and not my cup of tea at all. The honeycomb pieces are so small they taste gritty, and the overall flavour is chalky, not creamy. I could see how this would work as a baking ingredient, but on its own it’s a real let-down.
SCORE:
1/5
The Yorkshire Kitchen Coffee Butter (£6, 180g, theyorkshirekitchen.com)
This unique flavour combination blends Yorkshire butter with coffee – namely coffee liqueur, which makes up 8 per cent of each jar. Unlike the other butters, it doesn’t have to be refrigerated and will last six months in your cupboard. Serving suggestions include swirling it into porridge, spreading it on croissants or topping crumpets.
TASTE TEST:
Comprising just 36 per cent dairy, with sugar the second-biggest ingredient, it’s more like a sauce than a butter – in both taste and consistency. The coffee flavour – rich, dark and slightly bitter – comes through well, and the taste is quite moreish, but I just don’t know what to do with it. Coffee is already one of my vices; I don’t need to combine it with butter, too.
SCORE:
3/5
All Things Cinnamon Bun Butter (£2.85, 115g, allthingsbutter.co.uk)
Leaping on the cinnamon bun bandwagon – the doughy treats are a social media sensation – this All Things blend combines butter (made from British cream) with icing sugar, lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. The result? A spread that’s said to ‘bring the warmth of freshly-baked buns to your table’. Per 10g serving, it contains 59 calories, 5.1g fat and 0.22g salt.
TASTE TEST:
It may not be a health food, but this butter is a heavenly blend of spices, sugar and smooth, creamy dairy. Not too sweet, with a hefty dash of cinnamon, it’s everything I look for in breakfast condiment. I’d also like to try it melted over ice cream, or mixed through buttercream in a sponge cake. Yum.
SCORE:
5/5
