Ah this thread brings back happy memories. My mum had a market stall, and of course she used to work Saturdays, so dad was in charge of making gather tea before he picked her up. We had a coal fire, and he used to cut the rock hard butter into cubes and sit in front of the fire, warming it gently as he mashed it with a knife! And he never cut the bread before he buttered it - he would ut off the crust, then butter the loaf, then cut that slice off, then butter the next slice, and in he would go till the bread was all buttered. Happy memories indeed!