How to Make Butter Three Ways (And Why We're Obsessed)
Butter doesn't get nearly enough credit. It sits quietly on the table, usually in a cold, slightly sweaty block, and we spread it without thinking. But this past month, we had a reason to think about it very carefully indeed.
We were asked to create an interactive tasting station for Ocado's summer range launch, and our sommelier took the lead. She walked guests through five very different butters — treating each one the way you'd approach a wine flight, with notes on texture, finish, and provenance. A classic Président French butter with sea salt crystals. The Estate Dairy's salted cultured butter. A Mergulo cashew-based plant butter for the vegan contingent. All Things Butter's Garlic & Herb, whipped into silver coupes with baby veg for dipping. And the showstopper: a whipped parmigiano reggiano and truffle butter with cracked black pepper.
Each butter was paired with breads, crackers, and garnishes chosen to match its character. Think Ole & Steen chia rye with Ottolenghi rose harissa and Brindisa Marcona almonds, or Daylesford honeycomb alongside the truffle butter on toasted pane pugliese. The only hard part was remembering it wasn’t cheese so less was more when tasting each one!
It was one of those events that lets you dive into an ingredient. And it sent us straight back to the kitchen to start making our own.
Here's what we learned — and how you can do it at home.
1. Whipped Butter
This is the most visually impressive of the three and, honestly, the easiest. A stand mixer or a wooden spoon, five minutes, and you've transformed a block of butter into something that looks like it belongs in a Michelin-starred bread course.
The key is to start early as you’ll need to take your butter out of the fridge and let it come fully to room temperature before you do anything else. Cold butter won't whip; it'll just clatter around the bowl.
How to make it
Leave butter at room temperature until fully softened (at least an hour).
Beat slowly for one minute to get it moving.
Add a small splash of milk or water at the same temperature to loosen it.
Increase to high speed and whip for 4 to 5 minutes, until the butter has doubled in volume, turned pale, and looks like creamy frosting.
Transfer to a bowl or coupe, top with your garnish, and serve.
At the Ocado event, we used a parmigiano reggiano and truffle butter and finished it with extra cracked black pepper. It was paired with toasted pane pugliese and Daylesford honeycomb, and the combination is so tasty! A plain, good-quality butter topped with flakes of smoked Maldon salt is 10/10 style and flavour.
Flavour ideas for whipped butter
Classic: Plain butter topped with smoked Maldon salt
Herby: Garlic and herb butter finished with fresh chives
Bright: Lemon, dill and caper butter topped with lemon zest
Showstopper: Parmigiano reggiano and truffle with cracked black pepper
Serve with lightly toasted sourdough, crackers or fresh baby vegetables for dipping. This style makes a brilliant centrepiece for a dinner party — pile it high in a wide, shallow bowl and let people help themselves.
2. Choose Cultured Butter
If you've ever been to France and had a slice of baguette topped with creamy, slightly tangy butter and a smattering of flaky salt, you've probably had cultured butter without knowing it. It's what gives French butter almost yoghurt-like complexity that regular butter simply doesn't have.
The difference comes from the cream. Cultured butter is made by adding live bacterial cultures to the cream before churning, which causes it to ferment slightly. The result is a butter with more flavour, a softer texture, and a longer finish. It's the butter equivalent of a properly aged cheese versus a mild cheddar.
You don’t need to make this butter at home, our favourite is The Estate Dairy’s option, and it’s freshly churned in Cheshire by the butter experts. Serve at room temperature with good bread. Nothing else needed.
3. Flavoured Butter
This is the most versatile of the three, and the one that rewards creativity. A flavoured butter is softened butter with aromatics, herbs, or other ingredients beaten through it. The result keeps in the fridge for three days or the freezer for a month, which means you can make a batch on Sunday and have something positively delish ready for the week.
The method is straightforward. Start with 100g of good-quality semi-salted or unsalted butter (flavour is everything here, so don't use the cheapest block in the shop). Leave it at room temperature until properly soft, then beat with a wooden spoon or stand mixer until smooth and creamy before mixing in your chosen flavourings. For show stopping peaks of flavoured whipped butter try adding a few tablespoons of whole milk (must be at the same temperature) and whip to your hearts content.
Shaping and storing
Once combined, tip the butter onto a square of baking parchment or cling film. Roll it into your desired shape, seal and refrigerate until firm. Slice off as needed — they look beautiful melting over a piece of grilled fish or a steak, and they make a genuinely impressive addition to a bread board.
Three combinations to start with
Basil, parmesan and sundried tomato The one we keep coming back to. Beat together 100g softened butter, 4 tablespoons of freshly grated parmesan, a small handful of shredded basil, and 1 tablespoon of finely chopped sundried tomato. Excellent on pasta, grilled chicken, or warm focaccia.
Garlic and herb Classic for a reason. Beat 100g softened butter with 2 crushed garlic cloves, a tablespoon each of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley and chives, and a squeeze of lemon. Use it on bread, stir it through new potatoes, or melt it over prawns.
Lemon, dill and caper Bright and sharp, brilliant with fish. Beat 100g softened butter with the zest of one lemon, a tablespoon of finely chopped dill, and a teaspoon of roughly chopped capers. Finish with a pinch of flaky salt.
All three store well and all three will make whoever you're cooking for feel like they've been looked after.
One Last Thing
The Ocado event reminded us that the simplest ingredients are often the ones most worth paying attention to. A good butter, properly made and thoughtfully served, can be the thing people talk about long after the meal is over. We've seen it happen.
If you try any of these at home, we'd love to know which combination you go for. And if you're thinking about an event where the food should do the talking — whether that's an intimate dinner, a product launch, or something in between — get in touch. This is exactly the kind of thing we love doing.
