It has been said that “man shall not live by bread alone”. Clearly, man requires butter.
Butter is often your first taste of a chef’s talents; it shows their dedication to sourcing the very best; it satisfies your “I’m so hungry, I’m about to faint” pangs and can often be the most memorable part of a meal. After all, self-professed ‘butter man’ Patrik Johansson (aka The Butter Viking) “eats butter, with a spoon, right out of the churn (bread ruins the taste).”
So, who does butter well?
The Dairy (and all their operations) with their smoked bone marrow butter, Trinity – the original butter smeared over pebble (in the UK?), Dabbous’ walnut whip-shaped butter, Kitty Fisher’s burnt onion powder butter, Caravan’s (Jalapeño corn bread and) chipotle butter, Apero’s super salty green seaweed butter, Corbin & King joints never disappoint, and I’ve heard great things about The Sportsman (it’s on the list!).
A toast to absent, memorable friends: Roganic homemade butter, Viajante’s chicken-skin-brown butter, and a slightly ‘off-piste’ mention of Story’s beef dripping candle.
For those that don’t know me, I’m worryingly obsessed (clearly) with butter, and with crockery, plates and all things food presentation related. I’m always on the prowl to find new ways of presenting the tastiest, creamiest yellow stuff money can buy.
We’ve mentioned The Dairy, Roganic and Trinity, and their highly Instagrammable butter on a pebble. Skye Gyngell’s Spring restaurant pops bread in a baker’s proving basket and delicately presents the butter on contrasting ceramic coloured plates. There’s the overdone slate, the gorgeous Laguiole butter knife and the lovely little copper cloche. What’s next? We’ll be watching …
You may ask, is butter really that big of a deal? Well, it’s BIG in my eyes. Do I think operations should be wringing their GPs to make room for the best butter (and the best bread)? Yes, Chef!
I leave you with my rules of butter:
- Extra salt, pretty much always!
- Ratio: 1:1 (butter:bread)
- Never put it on steak
- Always have 2 + packs of Kerry Gold in your fridge (should another snow day hit London!)
Drop me a note if there’s any butter I should be trying: lucy@gorgeousgroup.com
Cover image credit: The Manor’s chicken skin butter on a pebble, photography by Mehreen A
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