If there is any product that is usually a staple of the weekly grocery shop, it's going to be a simple pack of butter.
While everyone may have their own favourite brand, the usual go-to - for quite a few of us - is the rather popular Danish brand Lurpak.
The fan-favourite butter has made quite the reputation for being the number one household staple that you will melt in your baked potato or spread across your morning toast.
It's so popular that it even won 'best butter in the world' at the World Championship Cheese Contest back in 2018.
However, with the cost of living continuing to send prices soaring for families across the country, it's understandable why quite a few shoppers are looking to switch to non-branded items to save pennies.
Due to the rising costs, more and more shoppers are becoming more savvy with their choices and finding out that a few supermarket's own-branded versions are just as good, while reducing the cost.
But, is there a cheaper alternative to the popular - but costly - Lurpak butter?
Well, that's what Alice Suffield from Wales Online set out to find out after she picked up a few supermarket branded butters and tested them against the mighty Lurpak.
The taste test included applying a healthy amount of each spread to a quarter piece of toast in order to properly judge the taste of each.
Alice visited Aldi, Lidl and Morrisons and here is how she got on...
Lurpak
Setting the standards for the test, Alice began with Lurpak which she says has been a "consistent staple in my fridge."
Of course, the Lurpak butter continued to be the butter that we all know and love when she popped it on to her toast.
She said: "Easy to spread, melted to perfection on the warm toast, and tasted as it has for years, satisfyingly savoury, tasting just as butter should.
The price did not taste as good however, as at £3.65 it is the most expensive of our spreads, but it is to be expected from a household brand."
Alice does admit that the quality and the price do match each other, but it was worth finding out if maybe she could switch to a cheaper supermarket version.
Nordpak - Aldi
Up first was the brand that has become pretty popular for providing popular supermarket dupes that are still big on quality, but low on price.
In terms of the packaging, Alice did notice that Aldi's Norpak is eerily similar to it's branded competitor.
As for the overall taste, it was found that the supermarket's version didn't taste "as strong as Lurpak", but that was not necessarily a bad thing.
In fact, Alice found that the spread didn't overpower the toast, unlike Lurpak, which is something that she never noticed before.
She did find that it was arguably the hardest to spread out of all the butters, but that was rectified once she left it to melt on the toast for a little while.
She added: "The price was much more reasonable, costing £1.99 for a 500g tub. When compared to the brand, it seems a sensible swap to make, with a saving of over £1.50."
Danpak - Lidl
Next up on the list was the popular budget supermarket Lidl with their own Danpak which cost just £1.89 - the cheapest of the bunch.
After giving a whirl, Alice found that Lidl missed the mark with this one, as the taste was "unremarkable" because it didn't really stand out compared to the others.
Alice said: "Sadly for me, the taste was unremarkable, you could tell it was butter, but it didn't have the same stand-out savoury flavour that the two previous butters did.
Whilst it did spread and melt with ease, I would rather pay the extra 10p for Aldi's Nordpak."
Spreadable - Morrisons
Last on the list was Morrisons with their very own version of Lurpak, which was, once again, eerily similar to the original.
After trying this one out, Alice did find that Morrisons Spreadable was rather different to their other options she had tasted at this point, due to being a bit sweeter.
She said: "Of the three, this one was the sweetest. The rest specified that they were slightly salted, so that explains why it tasted as sweet as it did in comparison.
It still tasted like butter however, and it spread and melted like a dream.
At £2.20 for 500g, it is the second most expensive, but still over £1 cheaper than Lurpak."
The verdict
From Alice's responses, it looks like Aldi's Nordpak took the crown as being a worthy substitute for her usual go-to Lurpak in the weekly shop.
The budget supermarket's version was found to be a winner on quality and price, as well as providing a rather decent saving off £1.66.
Which is good news for families looking to keep their costs low while they get in their household essentials.
The reporter said that, after the test, Nordpak would be going into her basket from now on, while Morrisons Spreadable and Lidl's Danpak would be left on their shelves.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
