Beurre à la Baratte — barrel-churned French butter from Beillevaire in Machecoul, Loire-Atlantique, salted with crunchy crystals of Noirmoutier sea salt. À la baratte means churned in a traditional wooden barrel rather than a continuous industrial churn. The difference is practical: wooden barrel churning is slower, works in smaller batches, and produces a butter with a denser, creamier texture and a more complex, cultured flavour than butter made at speed in stainless steel.

The cream is matured before churning — allowed to develop lactic cultures that give the butter a slight tang and a depth of flavour that goes beyond simple richness. The Noirmoutier sea salt is added in coarse crystals rather than dissolved, so it appears as visible crunchy specks throughout the butter — demi-sel croquant — giving occasional bursts of salinity against the smooth, rich cream. The colour is a natural pale gold, varying slightly with the season and the cows' diet.

This is a 125g block — a generous amount for the table but not so much that it goes off before you use it. Beillevaire butter has a shorter shelf life than industrial butter because the production method and the lack of heavy processing mean it is closer to fresh cream than to the shelf-stable blocks you find elsewhere. Use it within 2–3 weeks of receipt, or freeze it.

Origin: Machecoul, Loire-Atlantique, France

Ingredients: Cream (cow's milk), Noirmoutier sea salt.

Storage: Refrigerate. Use within 2–3 weeks. Freezes well — wrap tightly and freeze for longer storage without significant loss of quality.

Net: 125g

Allergens: Milk