Tipperary woman and farmer shares incredibly easy recipe for homemade Irish butter

June is a magical month on our dairy farm. 

The scent of mown grass hovers on the breeze as silage season is in full swing, and an air of excitement permeates as I pack bags for school tours, blitzs and occasions which signal the sunset of another school year. 

Life is busy, vibrant, and though we are still awaiting summer heat, brightness is abundant.

With plentiful white gold from peak production in the dairy bulk tank, I decided to dabble in making butter from scratch, using the cream from our very own milk. 

There’s something wonderfully grounding about it, a connection to generations of Irish farmers who have done the same. Butter-making is an art passed down through the centuries, a simple yet profound act that ties us to our heritage.

Irish farmhouse butter has a storied history. 

Long before supermarkets stocked neatly packaged blocks, families churned butter in their kitchens. 

It was a staple of rural life, a symbol of sustenance and community. Butter was often used as a form of currency, traded for goods or services.

It was more than just a food item; it transformed plain food from Spartan nourishment to decadent comfort. Growing up in the 1990s, I remember the butter vouchers received by families each month. Each voucher, worth 48p, was a small but welcome help.  

As prices rose, the vouchers covered less, and by the late 90s, the program ended. 

Many mother’s resourcefulness when it came to acquiring more than butter with these vouchers, were a lesson of the value of money and resilience during challenging times.

In the past, making butter was a labour-intensive process. Butter was painstakingly churned from cream, often by hand.

Today, the process is much quicker, thanks to modern appliances. 

With an electric mixer and a little bit of patience, you can have fresh, homemade butter in less than half an hour. 

And trust me, there’s nothing quite like the taste of butter you’ve made yourself. 

It’s a small luxury that brings immense joy.

Making butter with my children is on our summer rota of activities. It’s a fun, hands-on way to teach them about our farm and the food we produce. Making butter at home is simple. 

Start by pouring fresh cream into a mixer. 

Beat the cream on medium-high speed until it thickens, turning first into whipped cream and then eventually separating into butter and buttermilk. 

This process usually takes about 10-15 minutes. Once the butter forms, strain off the buttermilk and rinse the butter with cold water to remove any remaining buttermilk. 

Knead the butter a bit to remove excess liquid, add a pinch of salt if you like, and then shape it as desired. 

Enjoying homemade butter on fresh bread reminds me of why we do what we do. 

Farming is hard work, often thankless, and always demanding.

 But it’s also incredibly rewarding.  There’s a deep satisfaction in knowing that the food we produce nourishes not only our family but our community.  If you ever get the chance, try making it yourself.  You might just find, as I have, that the simplest things in life are often the most rewarding.

Katie Gleeson is an online content creator who documents family life on a dairy farm in rural Tipperary via her Instagram account @katieinthecountry.