Choose an unsalted butter block if you expect to bake or want to control the salt in cooking; choose a butter-and-oil spread if spreading it straight from the fridge matters more. UK butter listings give pack weights in grams, so do not use “6 pint” to choose a butter pack. Check the exact product’s ingredients, saturated fat, milk allergen information and storage instructions before buying.
If you need butter for recipes as well as something for toast, decide which use matters most before choosing a block or a spreadable tub. UK supermarket listings include both smaller blocks and larger tubs, with weights stated in grams.
An unsalted block lets you add salt separately when a recipe calls for it. The Lurpak and Kerrygold 200g unsalted blocks listed by Tesco Groceries and ASDA Groceries contain no or negligible salt per 100g.
For toast or sandwiches straight from the fridge, check a product labelled spreadable. The Anchor and Kerrygold tubs listed by ASDA Groceries combine butter with rapeseed oil; they are not the same product type as a butter block.
Start with how you will use the product, then check the exact label and choose a weight you can store and use.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Product type | Read the product name and ingredients: a butter block differs from a blend containing butter, rapeseed oil and water. If a recipe specifies butter, check that the product type fits. | For baking, I want the butter the recipe calls for. For toast straight from the fridge, I may prefer a spreadable blend. |
| Salt | Check salted or unsalted on the exact pack and read the salt figure per 100g. ASDA Groceries lists 1.8g salt per 100g for its Kerrygold salted 200g block and 0g for the unsalted 200g block. | If I am adding salt while cooking, an unsalted block gives me control. For eating as it is, I may want a salted flavour. |
| Saturated fat | Compare saturated fat per 100g on the nutrition panels of the products you are considering; also consider the amount you expect to use. Do not assume two spreadable blends have the same composition. | When saturated fat matters to my choice, I want to compare the actual products, not decide by whether the pack says “spreadable”. The NHS identifies butter as a food high in saturated fat. |
| Milk | Read the current ingredient list and allergen declaration. The checked butter blocks and butter-and-oil blends contain milk; the Food Standards Agency’s UK allergen guidance identifies milk as an allergen. | If I need to avoid milk, I cannot assume a butter-and-oil spread is milk-free. |
| Pack and storage | Check the net weight in grams, best-before date and storage instructions on the exact pack. Tesco Groceries and Sainsbury’s list butter products in differing gram weights. | For a first shop, I want a pack that fits in my fridge and that I expect to use within its stated date. |
The spreadable Anchor and Kerrygold products listed by ASDA Groceries contain rapeseed oil and water alongside butter. Their composition differs from the checked butter blocks, which matters when a recipe specifies butter.
Read the product name and ingredients before substituting a tub for a block.
The UK butter listings from Tesco Groceries, Sainsbury’s and ASDA Groceries state pack weights in grams. A pint measurement will not tell you which butter pack to choose.
Choose a gram weight according to how you plan to use and store it.
Butter blocks and spreadable tubs come in different weights, and the amount you can use depends on your plans and the pack’s instructions.
Check the weight, best-before date and refrigerated-storage directions before choosing a larger pack.
The checked butter-and-oil blends contain butter, while the NHS identifies butter as a food high in saturated fat. The word “spreadable” does not settle either question for an individual product.
Check the current milk allergen declaration and the saturated-fat figure on the nutrition panel.
Tesco Groceries lists a 200g Lurpak unsalted butter block; Lurpak spreadable products are separate variants.
ASDA Groceries lists an Anchor 400g spreadable blend of butter and rapeseed oil.
ASDA Groceries lists Kerrygold salted and unsalted 200g butter blocks alongside a separate 400g spreadable blend.
Tesco Groceries lists British salted and unsalted 250g own-label butter blocks.
Sainsbury’s lists own-label British salted and unsalted 250g blocks and a salted 500g block.
ASDA Groceries lists a 500g slightly salted spreadable blend containing butter and rapeseed oil.
This option is ghee for cooking with butter oil. Ghee is distinct from both a standard butter block and a spreadable butter-and-oil blend, so check your recipe before choosing it for a first shop.
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This 500g ghee is an option when you plan to cook with ghee rather than use a butter block or a spreadable blend. If a recipe calls for butter, check whether ghee is suitable; read the current pack for milk information and storage instructions.
Use grams when choosing butter. The checked listings from Tesco Groceries, Sainsbury’s and ASDA Groceries give butter and spread weights such as 200g, 250g, 400g, 500g and 750g; “6 pint” does not identify the butter quantity you need.
Check the recipe before substituting it. The checked Anchor and Kerrygold spreadables contain butter, rapeseed oil and water, unlike the checked butter blocks, so a tub should not be assumed to give the same result when a recipe specifies butter.
Choose unsalted if you expect to bake or want to add salt separately; choose salted if its flavour suits what you plan to eat. Check the exact pack: ASDA Groceries lists 1.8g salt per 100g for its Kerrygold salted block and 0g for the unsalted block.
The checked butter-and-oil spreads contain milk because they include butter. The Food Standards Agency’s UK allergen guidance identifies milk as an allergen, so read the current pack’s ingredients and allergen declaration if you need to avoid it.
Follow the instructions and best-before date on the exact pack. The checked Lurpak and Kerrygold butter blocks and the ASDA own-label spreadable say to keep them refrigerated; do not assume every product has identical storage instructions.