I make homemade butter in 10 minutes for £1 - it's better than Lurpak

Butter is a staple in many fridges, but with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, I've been exploring ways to reduce my food shop, and proper butter is becoming pricey. After spotting recipes for homemade butter online, I wondered if it was genuinely as straightforward as it appeared.

It requires just some double cream and a bit of sea salt if you prefer salted butter, but that's all. It involves only one or two ingredients, and it's much healthier than the store-bought alternative. It's also cheaper, with a pot of double cream selling for as little as £1. This is significantly more affordable than the Lurpak I was purchasing for a staggering £5, and I got nearly the same quantity.

I grabbed my stand mixer, a pot of double cream and started making homemade butter. You can do this by hand with an electric whisk or with a butter churner, but I wouldn't suggest doing it with just a whisk, as it'll take too long.

I began by pouring a 300ml tub of double cream into my stand mixer and attaching the whisk before setting it off to mix on a medium setting.

It'll take a few minutes to reach soft peaks and a further few minutes to reach stiff peaks. Although it feels wrong to whisk it further, I continued to whisk until it started to separate from the liquid.

This took around seven minutes, and once the liquid was swishing around at the bottom, it was time to turn the mixer off.

Once whisked, strain the buttermilk into a jug or bowl. I use buttermilk for pancakes, and it can also be used for a chicken coating. Ensure to press down hard on the butter to release all of the excess liquid.

This will ensure the butter lasts longer in the fridge, as it will remove the buttermilk, which can make it turn bad quickly.

Next, I grabbed a large bowl and filled it with cold water and a couple of ice cubes. The ice cube step is entirely optional, but I find it yields the best results. Now, it's time to rinse the butter to remove any remaining buttermilk. It's crucial to do so until the water is clear, which means changing it a few times.

Now is the moment to add your flavourings. I prefer to keep it simple with some fine sea salt flakes, but garlic or paprika also works wonders.

After sprinkling a few sea salt flakes onto the butter, I give it a quick stir with a wooden spoon before wrapping the butter up in parchment paper, and just like that, it's ready.

This butter was absolutely scrumptious, and you wouldn't notice too much of a difference. In fact, the homemade version tasted much fresher, and I enjoyed eating it knowing exactly what was in it.

This homemade butter makes the perfect amount to gift, and with Christmas just around the corner, I'll certainly be making some for family members.