The Kerrygold unsalted butter is much better- esp if you're going to use it for cooking. Don't know if it's widely available in the US tho.

I stopped buying Plugra when I read the ingredients and found out that the reason it tasted so 'buttery' was because of the butter flavor that was added to it.

I used to get a really good English butter, but the store I got it at stopped carrying it when it changed hands. They also stopped carrying Kate's from Maine, which was also pretty good.

I'm currently looking for a replacement for those two. I might have to try Lurpak next.

Thanks all for the tips!

I'm headed to Paris (and BCN and Andorra) next week so, I will definitely keep an eye out for good stuff to bring home! :)

fwiw, Kerrygold is widely available in NYC and fwiw, Trader Joes carries both the salted and unsalted varieties. hmmm...not sure when the last time i tried some.

More recently, I've enjoyed pretty good but not great butters from England (Somerdale) and Russia (? - distributed out of NE Philadelphia and bought in Brighton Beach)

I see Cooks Illustrated did a taste test of many of the brands mentioned above...however the results link seems to redirect to their olive oil test.

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/tast...sp?docid=17728

The results apparently are available only if you are a member.

I don't know any brand names, but I have always found any butter in Mexico to be mighty tasty.

The best hand churned butter is sold at Victoria Market. Useful for those living in Melbourne, but not for the rest of the world. The flavour is phenomenal.

Homeade raw cream butter, Steph3n's home TX, purchased just outside Stephenville, TX.

I can't say it's the best in the world, but I remember being very partial to the milk and butter in the Netherlands.

The worst butter I have had must be in Mexico. Although they do lots of things really well, so far I have found that does not include butter management. Oh well, probably best not to eat it anyway.

The Tasting Has Started...
 

Just had Isigny Ste. Mere (sweet) on my Air France flight to (JFK-CDG)

It was good but I'm still thinking there's something better out there...

btw, they serve Presidente (sp?) in the Air France lounge.

President is about as generic and bland as you can get. But then you were't looking for la creme de la creme at an airport lounge, were you?

Is that right? I did not know that! ^ Thanks for the info.

I can't recall the names, now, since it's been so long since I was a student there, but Isigny St. Mere - I believe that was one I enjoyed - I actually also liked President, too. I would typically buy my butter at Le Bon Marche or at a fromagerie. In France, you have a choice of so many artisanal food products.

Here in the states, I like salted Hotel Bar - cheap, typically fresh and suitable. Land o Lakes is also perfectly fine.

Oh, wait! I know - there actually was a Dutch deli near me that sold artisanal butter off a huge block - you'd tell them what amount you want, and they'd cut it off the block, put it in butcher's paper, and THAT was very fine butter. But the Italian family sold out to a Polish couple, and the shop went out of business literally two months later. (I know, like a lot of good that does the threadstarter, lol, but try and look for a small deli or shop that shells cheese - they likely sell fine butters, as well.)

OT but on a dairy theme, why is it so hard to find real cheese in the States?

:) I have a source for this, I buy it at the same dairy as the raw milk.
They ship if someone is interested can PM me.

Why is it hard to find real milk, even regular pasteurized in France/Switzerland?
UHT shelf milk is :td:

I don't think you will be able to top homemade butter, but it's not something easy to find in the US, very local.

Kerrygold is available in most supermarkets up here in New England. I am not a huge fan of it.

Vermont Butter and Cheese has a cultured butter which is outstanding. Wholefoods and some markets sell it, it is usually stocked in the cheese section, not the dairy case.

To be honest, though, I usually stick with good old Land o Lakes. The others are great if you decide you want to eat a nice slab of butter, but since you usually use it in something or to cook something in, then I dont think those work so well.

I buy Lurpak when I'm cooking something special (not that often, as I normally cook for one). The leading grocery chain in my area, Publix, carries it.

http://www.lurpak.com/C1256F170024DD5C