A Caerphilly firm has launched a natural, spreadable butter which is not in a tub and is hoping it will take the UK by storm and be exported to the USA.

Softer Butter can be spread straight from the fridge and its top-secret recipe – more than 50 per cent softer than some top brands and supermarket ‘own’ labels - took the firm's small team of butter experts two years to perfect.

Made using the cream of British cows, the new butter is being delivered to around 160 Morrisons and will be in 50 Tesco stores from late October.

Discussions are ongoing with other retailers and Softer Butter director Nigel Lloyd, who has worked in dairies around the world, already has a USA trip planned. He is confident Softer Butter can make the most of Brexit opportunities.

Nigel, 46, followed his father John into the dairy industry more than 20 years ago and has worked in many other countries, including the USA, Canada, Australia and Denmark.

Nigel’s dairy jobs have ranged from unloading milk tankers to making cheese on a Danish island in the Baltic sea to packaging milk powder for export and working in laboratories.

He said: “Seeing best dairy practice around the world really inspired and motivated me. I was struck by the lack of innovation in butter in the UK and also saw a lot of consumers shifting towards more natural products. Softer Butter is proper butter with absolutely no vegetable oil or additives in it.”

He said many consumers distrust the food industry because of the industrial processes often involved. “There is a definite move towards the simpler, the better. Industrial processes should not alter the foods that we eat. Softer Butter took us two years to get right and it is not too hard, not too soft - it’s just right!”

Nigel said: “Many people love real butter, which comes in packs, but don’t buy it because they can’t use it straight from the fridge. But our Softer Butter packs can be used straight from the fridge as there’s no need to wait for it to soften. It’s not only delicious, it’s really quick to use, bringing far more convenience to butter fans whether they’re at home or are professional chefs.”

The Lloyd family, who live in Caerphilly, eat butter every day. Nigel, who describes himself as health-conscious and has reduced his intake of meat, amazed his 11-year-old son recently when he showed him how to make butter by hand.

Welsh celebrity chef Angela Gray has already tried Softer Butter in her cooking school and said: “Quality, taste and ease of use are the key to creating the best food – Softer Butter combines all three perfectly.”

Nigel said: “I am confident that flexible SMEs like ours can take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves. I am due to visit North America in September to look for export opportunities into these new markets – perhaps this is the future for UK exporters who may now need to look beyond the EU.”