Butter!

I have wittered on in this place about the non-availability of tinned butter in Britain for a quarter of a century, now.

I think that when Anchor shipped their butter to Britain from New Zealand, they shipped their tinned butter to Britain at the same time, and when Anchor stopped shipping their butter from NZ under refrigeration, they stopped shipping the tinned version and nobody stepped up to take their place.

I notice that Amazon don’t offer any form of tinned butter for sale in the UK. Nor does anyone else.

Tinned butter is very convenient on a boat - it’s the sort of heavy item that you don’t want to lug back and forth and it keeps for a decade at least.

I am not keen on canning it at home because the risks of getting it wrong seem quite large.

I do have a fridge but since it’s only on when we are on board it’s not much use!
 
I am not keen on canning it at home because the risks of getting it wrong seem quite large.
I cannot even begin to imagine what those "risks" might be.
As far as I know there are none.
The numerous posts that I highlighted above on Youtube all describe how to preserve butter over a period of years - yet no one seems to have troubled to watch them, leave alone comment on them!
 
Nuts! Butter and bacon are already preserved foods, as they were devised for the storage of milk fat and pigmeat (notice I don't say "pork", because pork and bacon come from different kinds of pigs, at least in Ireland, where we know that the word bacon does not mean just rashers), and "canning" them is superfluous and why would you can eggs, milk and cream?. It's just further proof that Americans are all nuts!
 
It’s easy to de-risk that issue. Raise the temperature to over 120c and jar or tin it it in a pressure cooker. Or use clarified butter/ghee as mentioned earlier, which can be heated in a pan above that temperature. Or it can be bought in the UK in most big supermarkets. It is not exactly the same as butter, but close and actually much better for cooking as it doesn’t burn and go bitter.
 
I think OP is not thinking this through. Going to the boat means getting coats and boaty clothing out anyway:. So keep a 'grab bag' in the fridge at home with whatever perishable foods you are likely to need, and restock it on on your regular shopping trips. A decent insulated bag with a fresh freezer block will keep things cool enough to be safe for 24 hours or more after leaving the house.
 
For a impropmptu sailing trip, I normally just pick up whatever butter/milk/cheese/salad is in the fridge at home and move it to the fridge on the boat, then if it's not eaten at the end of the weekend it gets moved back to the fridge at home. Inefficient, and saves any decision making.

...but in the context of the OP's question I'm surprised no one has mentioned the standard vegan alternatives of peanut butter or tahini. Both quite tasty and they last for ever with no refrigeration.
 
For a impropmptu sailing trip, I normally just pick up whatever butter/milk/cheese/salad is in the fridge at home and move it to the fridge on the boat, then if it's not eaten at the end of the weekend it gets moved back to the fridge at home. Inefficient, and saves any decision making.

...but in the context of the OP's question I'm surprised no one has mentioned the standard vegan alternatives of peanut butter or tahini. Both quite tasty and they last for ever with no refrigeration.
I would rather give up sailing than eat peanut butter! :sick:
 
I think OP is not thinking this through. Going to the boat means getting coats and boaty clothing out anyway:. So keep a 'grab bag' in the fridge at home with whatever perishable foods you are likely to need, and restock it on on your regular shopping trips. A decent insulated bag with a fresh freezer block will keep things cool enough to be safe for 24 hours or more after leaving the house.

no my boat gear lives on the boat. I even have spare clothes on the boat. If I want to go for a day sail I literally just need to pick up the boat keys and hop in the car. What I’d like to do is have the same convenience for an overnight trip. If it’s more than two nights I’ve no issue with going shopping specifically or adding to the weekly shop in preparation just the same as I’d take extra clothes with me.
 
I would rather give up sailing than eat peanut butter! :sick:
For a impropmptu sailing trip, I normally just pick up whatever butter/milk/cheese/salad is in the fridge at home and move it to the fridge on the boat, then if it's not eaten at the end of the weekend it gets moved back to the fridge at home. Inefficient, and saves any decision making.
that does assume that all the occupants of the house are going on the sailing trip!

...but in the context of the OP's question I'm surprised no one has mentioned the standard vegan alternatives of peanut butter or tahini. Both quite tasty and they last for ever with no refrigeration.
I didn’t know that tahini was as repulsive to bacteria as peanut butter is so that is interesting - but both are definitely not butter! However it sounds like Bertolli may have a suitable out of fridge shelf life. Failing that I’ll do some “diy canning” of salted butter in smaller portions.
 
I reckon that I'm quite lucky in not being bothered by butter, nor ever wanting to add milk to tea or coffee. Olive Oil stored near the bilge covers for anything cooked and/or on bread (normally par-baked so it's fresh baked). Cheese is fine for weeks when it's in a jiffy bag, and it's easy to cut any unsightly mould off of it, also a good brie that's been well relaxed is the perfect topping for fresh bread.
Peanut Butter is extraordinarily full of energy, and is great on bread with chutney.
However, taste is a personal thing.
 
If you are only using butter for bread I would suggest better quality bread and eat it raw or perhaps for certain uses try a decent mayonnaise.
It works with cheese, salad and cold meats etc. I leave olive oil onboard for cooking and general use.
Olive oil has too low a smoke point for frying, and this, in the long term will be carcinogenic. Much better to use rapeseed oil.
I should add that raw olive oil has positive health benefits and is fine for salads etc., and why not dip crispy bread in it, rather than spreading cholesterol-inducing butter.
 
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