How to use limp herbs in a flavoured butter

Compound butter is simply butter mixed with sweet or savoury flavourings and a straightforward way to revive a small bunch of limp herbs. It can be melted over vegetables, stirred through pasta, grains or pulses, basted over meat or fish, spread on toast or frozen in slices to use a little at a time.

Once more often admired on restaurant plates than made at home, compound butter is an easy zero‑waste boost that adds serious flavour and visual appeal. Butter concentrates fat‑soluble aromatics from herbs, spices and citrus zest; when melted, that flavoured fat coats food evenly, giving a rounded intensity and a lingering taste.

A useful rule is to flavour butter with 10–20% fresh herbs and/or spices; the recipe here uses a 100g block as a simple base and can be scaled. Herbs such as parsley, chives, dill, basil, rosemary, thyme or mint work well, and spices might include ground cumin, smoked paprika or chilli flakes.

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