Choose a 500g block butter if you plan to melt it or add it to food after grilling; choose a 500g or 750g spreadable blend if guests will mainly use it on bread and cooked sides. Check the ingredients and salt declaration for the exact pack, and keep butter covered and chilled until it is needed outdoors.
If you plan to melt butter or add it to food after grilling, a 500g salted block offers a butter-and-salt format. Keep it away from utensils used for raw meat; GOV.UK advises separating raw-food preparation from ready-to-eat food.
If guests will spread butter on rolls or cooked sides, consider a spreadable tub. Lurpak describes its Slightly Salted Spreadable blend as spreading straight from the fridge; check the ingredients if you want plain block butter instead.
Choose it when: You plan to melt butter or use it to finish grilled food; Anchor also describes its Original Block Butter as a cooking and baking product.
Bear in mind: A chilled block is not the same format as a spreadable butter-and-oil blend.
Choose it when: Guests will mainly spread it on bread or cooked sides; Lurpak describes its blend as spreading straight from the fridge.
Bear in mind: Spreadable tubs contain ingredients beyond butter, and their butter content varies by product.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Intended use | Decide whether the pack is for melting and cooking or for spreading at the table. Check the product’s stated uses. | I’ll be melting butter for cooked food, rather than leaving a tub out for guests. |
| Ingredients | Read the exact pack’s ingredient list. ASDA Groceries lists butter and salt for its 500g British Salted Butter, while its 500g Slightly Salted Spreadable also contains rapeseed oil and water. | For bread and cooked sides, I’d like a spreadable tub; I still want to know whether it is a blend. |
| Pack size | Check the quantity you expect to use and the storage instructions for what remains. Both 500g blocks and 500g spreadable tubs are listed; Anchor and Lurpak also list 750g spreadable formats. | Will a 500g pack cover this gathering, or would a larger serving tub be useful afterwards? |
| Salt declaration | Compare the label per 100g for the exact product. ASDA Groceries lists 0.9g salt per 100g for its Slightly Salted Spreadable and 1.5g per 100g for its British Salted Butter. | The rest of my BBQ menu may already contain salty ingredients, so I want to check the pack I choose. |
| Outdoor serving | Keep food covered and chilled until needed, and use separate utensils for raw meat and ready-to-eat food, as GOV.UK advises. Check the pack’s milk allergen declaration. | I need guests to be able to serve themselves without raw-meat utensils touching the butter or bread. |
Spreadable products can contain rapeseed oil and water alongside butter. Lurpak lists 64% butter in its Slightly Salted Spreadable blend, while Anchor lists 54% butter in Original Spreadable.
Choose by how you will use it, then read the ingredient list on the exact pack.
A utensil used for raw meat can contaminate butter and ready-to-eat food. GOV.UK advises keeping raw-food preparation separate from ready-to-eat dishes.
Keep serving butter covered and chilled until needed, and provide a clean utensil for it.
Salt declarations differ: ASDA Groceries lists 0.9g per 100g for its 500g Slightly Salted Spreadable and 1.5g per 100g for its 500g British Salted Butter.
Compare the per-100g declaration on the particular pack you intend to serve.
These are examples of block and spreadable formats for different BBQ uses, not interchangeable products.
Lurpak lists Slightly Salted Spreadable in several sizes, including 750g.
Anchor offers Original Block Butter and Original Spreadable for different uses.
ASDA Groceries lists Kerrygold Salted Pure Irish Butter as a 500g block.
Tesco lists a 500g British Salted Spreadable blend.
Sainsbury's lists a 500g British Butter, Salted block.
ASDA Groceries lists both a 500g British Salted Butter block and a 500g Slightly Salted Spreadable tub.
This 500g ghee is an option to consider for cooking, not a substitute for the block butter or spreadable tubs discussed above. Check its stated uses against your BBQ plan.
No image available
For a BBQ cooking plan, consider this 500g ghee only if its stated uses fit what you intend to do. Ghee is clarified butter oil, not a conventional butter block or a spreadable tub; check the pack’s cooking and storage instructions.
Choose a block if you plan to melt butter or add it to grilled food; choose a spreadable blend if guests will mainly use it on bread or cooked sides. Check the exact product’s ingredients and salt declaration, because the formats differ.
That depends on how many people will use it and whether it is for cooking, table service or both. Both block and spreadable products come in 500g formats, while Anchor and Lurpak also list 750g spreadable tubs; consider how you will store any remainder.
Keep it covered and chilled until needed, with a clean utensil for serving. GOV.UK advises keeping utensils used for raw-food preparation separate from ready-to-eat food.
Check the current pack’s allergen and ingredient statements before serving it. The checked butter and spreadable examples list milk in their ingredients; do not assume a different product has the same formulation.