Milly Fyfe’s homemade garlic butter recipe

July in the Cotswolds is a time of vibrant activity and abundant harvests. The fields are golden with ripening crops, and the countryside buzzes with anticipation for the upcoming harvest. Some farmers may have already started cutting their barley and I’m sure they’ve been working hard on hay making – that satisfying smell of freshly baked grass!!

It’s also the season of agricultural shows, where communities gather to celebrate farming traditions and local produce. Which one is your favourite? The Cotswold Show will have just taken place and the hugely popular Moreton Show will be held on Saturday 6th September.

Celebrating Local Excellence

The excitement is building as the Cotswold Life Food & Drink Awards 2025 approach. These awards honour the dedication and passion of our local food and drink heroes. I’m delighted to be a judge on the awards panel this year and I can’t wait to learn more about the array of diverse food and farming businesses that are achieving such great things across the region, as well as further afield.

Embracing the Summer Holidays

With the school holidays nearly upon us, it’s the perfect time to engage in family-friendly activities that celebrate the season. A few activities that you might like to consider include:

• Fruit Picking: Visit local farms to pick strawberries, raspberries, and blackcurrants

• Picnics: Pack a basket with homemade treats and enjoy a meal amidst nature.

• Baking Together: Involve children in baking scones or simple cakes, nurturing a love for cooking.

• Exploring Nature: Take walks or bike rides through the countryside, observing the flora and fauna. And have you discovered the Merlin App? Download onto your phone and listen to the birds. It identifies the different species you can hear.

Preserving the Summer Bounty

As gardens and hedgerows overflow with fruit, consider these methods to preserve the flavours of summer:

• Freezing: Clean and freeze berries for use in smoothies or desserts later in the year.

• Drying: Dry herbs and fruits to create teas, snacks or even salts.

• Butters: Make a herb infused butter which can be frozen in ice cube trays

• Chutneys and Relishes: Transform surplus vegetables into savoury accompaniments.

• Fermentation: Experiment with fermenting vegetables to create pickles rich in probiotics.

Homemade garlic butter

We grow garlic in our kitchen garden every year. And whilst it stores well over winter, it is an absolute joy to infuse with butter and freeze to enjoy with some bread or homemade chicken kievs/kyivs

Ingredients:

Ingredients

• 4 cloves of garlic

• 150g of salted butter (leave out the fridge for 30 minutes before using)

• Handful of chopped parsley

Method

1. Place all ingredients into a blender and mix until combined

2. Use an ice cube tray to spread your mixture into the holes and freeze into small blocks.

3. For assembling chicken kievs, take two blocks out of the freezer.

4. Pierce a small hole in each chicken breast and insert the garlic butter block. You can baste in egg and cover in breadcrumbs for a proper crispy finish.

5. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until cooked.

6. I find if you use the butter from frozen as it doesn’t melt and ooze away from the chicken so quickly. You can serve with some risotto rice or chips.

7. If making garlic bread, all you do is get a baguette and cut into small portions.

8. Spread the garlic butter onto the bread and toast in the oven until golden brown and the butter has melted.

I’ve also got a delicious recipe for a quick to make cheese and chive sharing bread. It will elevate your picnic or BBQ and cooks in around 15 – 20 minutes!

Ingredients

250g self-raising flour

Salt and Pepper to season

40g soft butter

125g grated cheddar cheese

Small bunch of fresh chives

1 egg

150g milk

1 teaspoon of mustard powder

Method

Set the oven to 200c

Put the flour and salt, pepper into a mixing bowl

Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the bowl. Rub together until it makes breadcrumbs

Add the cheese to the mixture and snip the chives finely using a pair of scissors

Beat an egg in a cup and add to the mixture, leaving a small amount for an egg wash

Give the ingredients a mix, then add the mustard powder

Gradually add the milk to the mixture and combine to make a dough

Sprinkle a work surface with flour and add the dough. Knead for a couple of minutes until smooth before shaping into a 18cm round flat shape

Cut into eight small segments and place on a greased baking sheet

Brush the dough with the egg wash and bake for 15 – 20 minutes

Serve warm with butter

Embrace the joys of July by participating in local events, preserving the season’s bounty, and spending quality time with loved ones. The Cotswolds offer a rich tapestry of experiences waiting to be explored, not forgetting the farming, food and drink to be sampled too.

Milly Fyfe x

Originally from the Cotswolds, Milly is a farmer, parent, and founder of No Fuss Meals for Busy Parents CIC. Milly is passionate about reconnecting people with UK food production, and is establishing a classroom on her farm to offer hands-on field-to-fork education, inspiring the next generation to grow, cook, and eat sustainably

You can follow Milly on social media using the handle: @MillyFyfe on X, BlueSky, Linkedin, Instagram and TikTok. Or follow the work of the CIC at: https://www.nofussmealsforbusyparents.com/