Recipe: Home-made butter

Home-made butter. Photo / Jason Burgess

Nothing could be easier than home-made butter.

I have vivid memories of sitting in front of the TV as a child shaking a jar of cream for all I was worth waiting for the thick liquid to suddenly separate into buttermilk and butter as if by magic. I would try and spot the moment it happened but it would always wait until I had looked away before changing in an instant. It's now a memory I have passed on to my children.

Ingredients

• Cream (raw or from the shop)
• Salt

1. It's so simple - either pop the cream in a jar, put the lid on and get everyone in the house to take turns shaking the thing until all of a sudden you get solids, or pour into an electric mixer and watch as it turns to whipped cream and then all of a sudden separates into liquid and solid.

2. Pour the lumpy mixture into a sieve. You can
catch and save the buttermilk (it's great in scones). Using the back of a large spoon, gently squish the butter against the sides to squeeze out more buttermilk.

3. Turn on to a chopping board and sprinkle with a
little salt. Using butter pats or flat knives turn it over and kneed to get out any last bits of liquid. Mix in the salt. You can also add chopped garlic or herbs if you want. Shape the butter as you want or press into a dish, then chill.