Sorted one part of my lather issue

I had to do some investigating but the soap my wife bought me was Casswell Massey. The reviews reflect my experience, namely, its a crummy soap.

I have some Proraso on the way.

Hang in there,, finding good to great soaps along the way,,, is a fun part of the journey.

Another good option is search the interwebs for soap/cream samples. I just got a taylor of old bond cream sampler from Maggard razor. I got 5 small samples for a few bucks. That might help you narrow down something you like as well as get that lathering down too.