With a helping hand from three little scientists, Molly (6), Lily (5) and Ernie (4), the team buttered 100 slices of toast before knocking each from the kitchen table at the family dairy in Bridge of Allan. The results were conclusive: overall 69% landed butter side up, disproving the theory that's had the public scratching their heads for decades.
"There's nothing more frustrating than dropping your toast when getting ready for work or school but we wondered why it always seemed to meet a messy end,” said Carol Graham, Marketing Director at Graham’s Family Dairy. “We decided to conduct our own experiment with some little scientists who had a great time testing out the theory - and creating chaos in the kitchen as they did so.
"They disproved the belief that toast always seems to land butter side down, but our team also discovered that the more butter on each slice, the more likely it was to avoid landing awkwardly. It seems that more spreading alters the shape, creating a slight curve and changing the pattern of its fall. So those who like to spread liberally are in luck! It’s all just good fun, but surprising results nonetheless."
Molly Scobbie, aged 6, from Glasgow said: "This experiment was exciting and it was really fun. I'd normally get into trouble if I dropped my food but during this experiment, I've been able to do it on purpose. Not just once but one hundred times."
Lily Stevenson, aged 5 from West Lothian, added: “This experiment was lots of fun, I dropped so much toast today. It would just go straight down – not do loop-a-loops. And lots landed butter side up.”
Ernie Scobbie, aged 4, from Glasgow thinks you should put lots of butter on your toast: “This is a really important experiment. Lots of pieces landed with the butter on the top, so I ate it.”
• Graham’s The Family Dairy are inviting people to share their own experiments via their Facebook and Twitter pages (@GrahamsDairy), using the hashtag #ButterSideUp.
