This really depends on where you live. I didn't realise how spoilt I was living in Berlin until I moved away. Vegan butter that is as good as actual butter is widely available there, at about the same price - albeit unsalted.

I'm now in France, where big supermarkets often have a whole row of fridges dedicated to butter, and I've not as yet even seen one place selling any kind of modern vegan butter. I think it was the same story in Spain too, although I wasn't staying in large cities there.

I've tried a range of different vegan butters while I've been at home in the UK and they all just taste like margarine. France I can understand, as they have a big dairy culture (no pun intended - that would be too cheesy), but I'm at a loss to explain why the good stuff isn't widely available in the UK as the demand is there.

Have used it actually, but it's not as good. Also we know some dairy farming families and they aren't torturing their herd. Though you are right, I don't really care about the fate of them. As long as their isn't real sadistic cruelty. In that instance, I worry more about what it says about the people.

I'm far more interested in the environmental impact. I can't seam to digest meat substitutes (even when they are meant to be coeliac safe). We make a point of restraining our beef consumption due to the environmental impact, as it's the worse meat impact wise. I'd jump on lab meat and milk.