Alfile butter dish

Out in Wales last weekend visiting a friend, I was admiring their electronic butter dish. This maintains a consistent temperature and means your butter is spreadable all year round.

An indulgence, for sure, but also an excellent idea. I added it to my mental list of things I could justify buying one day in 20 years when I’ve paid off my mortgage. The inventor must have a patent on it, because there’s no sign of cheap clones being available: you have to go directly to the source.

Seventy-two hours later, the Premium Bonds dropped £50 in my lap, and I thought to myself … I know what I’ve seen recently for that price …

It’s too soon to say whether the maintenance needed (blowing dust out of the fan) will become a drag, but I can confirm that putting a block of Anchor into it and setting the knob to about the 2/3 position does an excellent job.

One could almost justify this as a health-related purchase, since properly spreadable butter should put an end to having oversized lumps of it on toast and sandwiches.