Is anyone else using lard now that butter is so expensive?

We’ve never stopped using lard. The best product for good chips ?

I haven't used lard for a while, no reason, I just never think about it.

Thinking about lard reminds me of when I was working in M&S some years ago and an elderly gentleman asked one of the assistants in the food hall if we sold Lard. "Oh no sir" she said "We don't really sell anything you could actually cook with"

I’ve always made pastry with half butter half lard. It’s the best way to get crisp pastry.

I've never made pastry.

I rarely make it but if I do I would never use lard. I use butter or margarine. I thought lard was animal fat?

The best mince pies I ever tasted were made by a friend who used all lard for the pastry.

I've used half butter, half lard but probably neither are really good for you. If you only eat it occasionally, that's fine.

I don’t use lard but Trex, this is vegetable fat.

I think my mum used half lard, and her pastry was lovely.
She said it was because she had cold hands.

I love pastry and always used half and half but got very few up with TH leaving it all on his plate so I don't bother now. Sometimes have a pie if we go out to eat while himself nibbles a goats cheese salad.

For shortcrust pastry, I've always used half vegetable lard, as I think it gives the best results.

I am thinking of moving to cooking margarine for some cakes now, instead of butter.

Always use 50/50 lard and butter, or sometimes baking block instead of butter for pastry. It’s not always easy to find lard in the supermarkets I find.

I always use half and half butter and lard for pastry it makes a much crisper flakier pastry. Never failed me yet.

Trex would be fine. But animal fat, definitely not!

Half Lard and half block stork or butter.

Same as Sweetpeasue. Always, just as mum did.

Same here.

Half Stork block and half are here.

I leave the decision to whoever manufactures the ready to roll pastry that I buy. As a point of interest, the excellent ready rolled puff pastry sold by Lidl is vegan.

I bake to raise funds for a charity. Speaking to a professional at a workshop I asked how I could make butter cream red, for cupcakes. The best I could manage with red colouring was a salmon pink. She told me the reason was that I used butter. It’s yellow of course. Apparently many bakers, and I guess commercial bakers use lard, not butter. Lard is tasteless, odourless and colourless. So it takes on any colour. And dirt cheap. I was horrified. But it makes sense. I still use butter.

My grandmother made the best pastry I have ever tasted and always used a proportion of lard with her butter. She always said this was what made her pastry so light.

Same here. But everything has gone up in price not just butter. I buy shop's own brand now and results are no different. I actually hate butter on sandwiches/toast etc so for that use jam or chocolate spread or honey. DH likes lurpak spreadable so buy it for him. DD's use shop's own make spreadable. My shopping habits have changed though. I go to Aldi for as much as possible and remainder that discount stores don't sell then get from Tesco or Sainsburys. I used to bake a lot but less now due to middle age spread! but DD1 bakes a lot and uses Aldi ingredients and are always delicious.

I've got high cholesterol so no animal fats for me. Lard is great, but not for me. I rarely make pastry these days anyway.

Lard makes the shortest shortcrust pastry. It's fine to use all lard.

At Secondary school in the 60s, I remember the short crust pastry recipe was for half butter, half lard. Later on, I remember using half butter, half Trex. Nowadays, it’s ready made - good enough for Mary Berry, good enough for me!