Ridiculously easy homemade butter

Sometimes, things we take for granted nearly every day of our lives are so easy to make, we are left scratching our heads, wondering why on earth we haven't done it before. Butter is made from shaking whipped cream around in a jar. That's it. A bit of effort and some squeezing and it's there, almost impossibly.

It's true that it's not necessary to make our own butter, it probably isn't any cheaper or better either, but it's the sense of achievement that is priceless. It's like magic. Snowy white whipping cream, not watery, but not exactly thick, is transformed to a yellow, oily mass that is heaven on hot toast or muffins, or used to fry vegetables or enrich pasta. It makes you feel like anything is possible. I'm getting carried away, I know, but really you must try this.

Recipe : Homemade butter  
(from The River Cottage Family Cookbook by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall)

1 carton of whipping cream taken out of the fridge 30 minutes prior to starting.

You need a clean, sterile glass jar with a lid for this. 

Simply pour enough cream to fill the jar by 1/3, tightly screw on the lid and start shaking. 

After a while, (it took about 3 minutes for me), you will hear the jar go silent. You now have whipped cream. (This in itself is a wonderfully easy way to whip cream, I will use this method next time I need it).

Keep on shaking even though it now gets a little difficult, until you hear a large lump start to slosh around in liquid. Have a peek inside. 

You should see a yellow mass that for me looked slightly curdled, remove from the jar and place on a board.
The remaining liquid in the jar is buttermilk, good for making pancakes or using as a marinade for fried chicken. I poured this into the empty milk carton for another use.
Now you need to squeeze any extra buttermilk from the butter to prevent sourness. Use your hands or a spoon and squeeze until no more liquid comes out.
Your butter is now ready to use. You can wrap it in wax paper and store it in the fridge or use straight away.

How easy was that? OK, it took a little effort, but don't you feel all self sustainable and just a little bit smug?