What happened to St Ivel Gold butter?
I have really vivid memories of the foods my Mum bought when I was growing up, and St Ivel Gold butter was always on her shopping list! I can clearly remember the bright blue foil wrapper with the golden cross, and the taste was something else! But what happened to St Ivel Gold butter and can you still buy it today?
What is St Ivel Gold?
St Ivel Gold was a low-fat buttermilk spread that was advertised as a healthier alternative to real butter.
What happened to St Ivel Gold?
Dairy Crest stopped producing St Ivel Gold back in 2008. There was never an official reason given for the axe, but it was probably simply because consumer tastes changed as more alternative butter spreads started to hit the market.
Can you still buy St Ivel Gold?
No. St Ivel Gold is no longer available to buy in the UK, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. Dairy Crest stopped producing it in 2008 and so far it hasn’t been relaunched.
Who made St Ivel Gold? When was St Ivel Gold made?
The St Ivel brand itself was first formed way back in 1901 by dairy company Aplin & Barrett. The brand name was used for a range of their products.
In 1960, Unigate Dairy Company took over and owned the brand until the early 2000s when dairy giant Dairy Crest took the helm.
What is the closest thing to St Ivel Gold butter now? Other Dairy Crest brands
The well-loved producer of St Ivel do produce a number of popular alternatives to St Ivel Gold that you can thankfully still find on supermarket shelves.
- Cathedral City Cheddar Cheese
- Country Life Butter
- Utterly Butterly
- Vitalite
- Clover
Anchor butter is also a big favourite as an alternative.
You could even place your butter in a little butter dish to bring back some really nostalgic memories of times gone by.
St Ivel Gold Advertising
The St Ivel Gold advertising campaign was brutal to say the least! It focused on promoting the product as a way to reduce fat intake whilst still enjoying a dairy rich product. Their adverts usually stated that the spread contained half the fat of margarine, “for a buttery taste, with half the fat”.
As with any popular brand, advertising was huge for the half-fat spread, and Dairy Crest regularly brought out new adverts. Thanks do the wonders of the modern internet, we can still access many of these online, and it’s amazing to look back on them! I don’t think we would get adverts like these today.
This advert from 1990 is one of my favourites, it reminds me of my own childhood when we would always use St Ivel Gold to spread on our sandwiches when we went on days out.
I’m sure I’m not alone in associating the St Ivel brand of dairy products with happy memories of my childhood.
