English Butter in America: Devon Double Cream
Ingredients: Cream & Salt
If you were an English person who had only just moved to the United States, you might be forgiven for thinking that it is easy to buy English Butter in America. This is not actually true. Had you been living here, say, for six or so years already, the closest you ever could have come to this perfectly-formed, smooth, dense slab of salty, creamy goodness would have been when reflecting on delicious English memories of thick pats of salty butter melting into warm pools on a slice of toasted white bread, leaving cool little buttery islands on the surface.
Dreaming's for dreamers, it's time to take action. Now you can try this at home here in the US too. Made by The Devon Cream Company, I first spotted this butter at the Fancy Food Show and publicly stated that if it went on sale "you've got your first customer in me, guaranteed."
I can't really condone English butter's purchase, of course, it is distinctly un-local. There is little comparable on the market here (the salted Spring Hill can be fantastic, on a good day, but they have been inconsistent and I reluctantly threw the last stick away simply because it tasted awful and I can't afford the calories for "tastes awful"). I think there is no harm in indulging in a little treat from time to time. Butter freezes well so I divide the stick into little half inch slabs and store for those times when the day dreams and memories of toast past aren't quite enough...
I bought this butter in the SoMa branch of Wholefoods in San Francisco.
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31 Comments:
At 24/7/07 20:39,
Rose said…
Thanks for the nod - I've been enjoying Becks & Posh!
At 24/7/07 21:57,
Dagny said…
Another item to be added to my shopping list.
By the way, I am sorry if I was kind of rude in my comment on tourist spots. As a native of the Bay Area, I tend to feel overly passionate about certain things.
At 25/7/07 02:07,
Beccy said…
Glad you've got some 'English' butter to go with your toast and marmite for those moments you need it.
At 25/7/07 06:37,
Anonymous said…
I haven't been to England in eight years after going almost every year since I was a toddler. I MISS THE TOAST AND BUTTER! I thought it was just me. I've found some semi decent butter at Wholefoods here in the Boston area but I just want some nice English toasting bread. Nothing fancy.
At 25/7/07 07:00,
Lisa Fain (Homesick Texan) said…
You had me at "buttery islands"! And I think it's quite all right to forgo local sometimes if you're really craving a taste of home.
At 25/7/07 07:35,
Anonymous said…
Having moved from North American to London, I've really enjoyed the wonderful world of butter I've discovered here. I've even stopped buying margarine! (I only admit to that now because its a thing of the past)
B
Hand to Mouth
Making Stock of the Situation
A blog for penniless gourmets
At 25/7/07 09:17,
Anonymous said…
ooooh thanks Sam - i work very close to soma whole foods and this would be divine in some scottish shortbread or tablet!
At 25/7/07 09:44,
Anonymous said…
omg, I bought a stick of this butter just a few weeks ago from TJ's because I loved the packaging, and getting your stamp of approval is making me feel even better. Actually, your first paragraph would apply to a lot of Indians too, toast and butter just doesn't taste the same here.
btw, Hi Sam! I have been a reader of your blog for a looooong time, but never left a comment, and there is no good excuse for that.
At 25/7/07 10:19,
Pim said…
Didn't we talk about the Spring Hill butter when I ran into you and Amanda at the market a couple months back? I said I stopped buying it a while ago because it was so inconsistent. Can I say I told you so? hehe.
At 25/7/07 10:26,
Sam said…
Pim - you cursed the butter. When I was talking to you that day Amanda was in the background buying me a stick of Springhill as a gift. It was that exactly stick which was the awful one. As you were standing there badmouthing it (I didn't believe you at the time, of course), so that stick of buter decided to prove you right.
It's such a shame because the previous sticks were so fantastically wonderful that had had people andsighing and melting as they tried it begging to know from whence I got it.
I do plan to give them another chance but they didnt have it the last time I tried - and I want to make sure I taste before purchase infuture to make sure the batch is good.
At 25/7/07 11:26,
ChrisB said…
I'll make sure I have plenty of butter in the fridge in Sept.!!
At 25/7/07 11:31,
Anonymous said…
I bet The Brit would be surprised if I had English Butter at our table out of the blue!
At 25/7/07 11:37,
Anonymous said…
Have you tried Kerrygold Irish Butter? It's liquid irish gold as far as I'm concerned! You can get it at Andronico's, TJ's and Whole Foods. Always consistent and highly addictive.
At 25/7/07 11:58,
Hillary said…
I've never had English butter but I've been reading so much about it on many food blogs. Thanks for sharing! I'll have to try it now that I can. Hopefully Chicago grocery stores sell it too.
At 25/7/07 12:03,
Anonymous said…
English butter is the best.
I used to have UtterlyButterly while living there though - I don't think its 100% butter?
Anyhoo. In South Africa you get all weird types of butter, but GREAT butter too.
Its a bit tempting to have it around though - that island of melted button freshly made white toast sounds delicious, even after having dinner :P
At 25/7/07 13:10,
Anonymous said…
mmm, thanks for the tip sam. now, where can enidd get strawberry jam and clotted cream. she might get into a scone making mood.
At 25/7/07 16:23,
Anonymous said…
I've tried that English butter at Whole Foods as well. Amazing. Nothing like the rancid yellow bars I grew up with!
At 25/7/07 18:11,
Anonymous said…
I have dreamed of that butter since I last ate it in Dartmouth 20 years ago. That and clotted cream. Can you find us some of that?!
At 25/7/07 18:23,
SteamyKitchen said…
I'll have to stop by Whole Foods this week to see if they have that brand in my town.
re: CheapAssFood - I actually like their site - some people don't make a lot of money and can't afford Devon Double Cream from Whole Foods. At least they support small eateries. It's not the customers who set the price of the food - its the establishment. I dunno...I think places like Rafiqis is happy to take your $3 and give you a rice plate. Just a thought.
At 25/7/07 20:24,
Catherine said…
I'm a Kerrygold (Irish) butter person all the way. Yellow and salty and available for reasonable price at Trader Joe's. When I was a kid in England we always had Lurpak (sp?) which I believe is Danish
At 25/7/07 20:29,
Sam said…
Ok - so I have to tell you all a Kerrygold story: My brother in Law is Irish and when ever he visits England to stay with my parents they have to buy Kerrygold just for him because he thinks English butter sucks. So you see - I am telling you this so that you know Kerrygold and English butter are not the same thing just like Ireland and England are very different countries, their butters are very different. Personally I find Kerrygold a bit pale and insipid. So Kerrygold lovers may not like the English stuff - don't say I didn't warn you all.
At 26/7/07 15:48,
Monkey Wrangler said…
Sam, if I'm gonna keep calling my "english muffins," by the american name that it is, maybe I should give you a few for your approval. Ever over in the east bay? I make them about once a week (like this morning) and having had that butter in the past, I am now dying for a slather or three on toast......
At 26/7/07 16:01,
Anonymous said…
I just had to tell you that I just went and purchased the last stick of this at the Soma Whole Foods. Two crazy trips on Muni and I am bringing home some butter for my Britsh boyfriend in Fairfield tonight!! Your post really intrigued me and he is soooo biased on milk and butter from home! wish me luck!!
At 27/7/07 13:17,
Anonymous said…
I am a fellow Brit, been here for the past decade.
Cheers for the tip. A must have on my weekend shopping trip to WF.
At 28/7/07 14:53,
The Blissful Glutton said…
I adore this butter. It has become a staple in my kitchen ever since I found it. The color is a brilliant yellow and the flavor is amazing!
At 29/7/07 01:03,
Trig said…
Unfortunately, Sam, most of us back in the mother country eat New Zealand butter.
At 30/7/07 13:11,
Anonymous said…
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this tip! I love butter, and I'm always on the lookout for something good. I picked up a stick of Devon at the Berkeley Whole Foods, and it is phenomenal. I definitely prefer it to the French, Irish, Danish, and local butters that I've tried. From now on, it will be a staple in my fridge.
At 17/3/08 09:14,
Unknown said…
Hi, Sam--
I read your Kerrygold comment over at 101cookbooks.com and followed you here...I am a Kerrygold butter lover, don't believe I have seen English butter here in Chicago, but I will look-see...Is English butter for-true yellower than Irish butter? I've been under the impression that Irish and New Zealand butters are the yellowest, because the cows in those countries only feed on grass, no grain...
Whaddaya say?
Thanks for the tip!
Leslie
At 17/3/08 18:13,
Sam said…
Hi Leslie
I am not sure quite what makes butter yellower. NZ - is certainly as yellow as they come. Kerrygold is much paler. Maybe even more so than the Devon butter but I havent done a side by side. None are as pale a American butter. British Cows are also grass fed so not sure where that theory goes.
Check out Wholefoods for the English butter - it certainly ssmes to be always in stock in the SF branch these days.
Also check out the current issue of Saveur - it is a butter special and should have everything you could posibly want to know about buter and more!
Good luck!
At 28/8/09 03:45,
Dazy said…
In my last visit to the departmental store near my place, I bought some of this for my kids. Now I offer them to my cousins also.
At 21/1/10 04:12,
Anonymous said…
Hi! I'm a brit who has been living in ITaly now for nearly two year, and I miss the butter!!!
Regarding Kerrygold, I used to use it a lot and I like it, but eventually opted for cheaper and equally tasty (and more yellow) regular supermarket ones in England. Compared to here in Italy you can't go too wrong if you go for a 100% butter in England. BUT i was very surprised to hear that the US has the same problem, no good butter!
Here all butters are very white and don't give the taste to food you expect from using butter...mash potatoes lack that certain something. However, since english style sliced bread hasn't arrived in Italy yet, toast is forever out of reach!
(Oh yes, there's plenty of sliced long-life bread on the shelves, which is either really sweet or has a permanently stale texture, and if toasted makes a good brick).
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