Partnering for Productivity

Date: Monday, July 3, 2023

A photograph of our butter

Food and Dairy-machine experts Machinery World Group and butter guru Grant Harrington of Ampersand have joined forces to develop a homogeniser which produces the most pliable, smooth and consistent butter possible.

Grant, a former Gordon Ramsay Chef, trialled the prototype ROKK RBR1400 Butter Reworking Homogeniser for a few months, working closely with Machinery World to perfect the process.

“I supply small round table portions to many of the country’s Michelin starred restaurants and pastry sheets to the UK’s best delicatessens and bakeries, so the ability to produce a consistently high-quality finish is non-negotiable,” says Grant. “The ROKK prototype already far surpassed the older, more industrial machines on the market, but it was fantastic to work with the team to make it even better.”

Changes to the machine included tweaks to further reduce the moisture content and to enable the mix to move through the machine with minimal wastage.

“Our partnership with Grant is a prime example of the Machinery World Group ethos of listening and responding to our customers’ needs and requirements,” says Tim Darvill, Machinery World’s Head of UK Sales and Procurement. “By trialling the machine in a real time situation, with such an exceptionally high-quality product as Ampersand’s butter, we know that our machine meets the needs of the professionals we built it for.”

“I am totally obsessed with quality,” admits Grant “and continually look to develop and work with the best possible tools to create the best quality products. The ROKK Homogeniser was already so easy to operate, clean and take apart, and now it produces the perfect pliancy for my product.”

“The ROKK RBR1400 is extremely versatile,” says Tim “and has a coarse rotor option as well as the fine mode for customers requiring a different texture and consistency to Grant’s needs. Customers also have full control over the pneumatic force feeder and auger speed, making it easy to achieve a consistent, bespoke product every time. We are delighted with the input we have received from Grant – his passion for perfection has helped us create the best machine possible.”

It is this passion that, nine years ago, led to the birth of Ampersand. Working in Faviken Magasinet restaurant in Sweden, at the time acclaimed the 14th best restaurant in the world, the first thing Grant tried there was the butter.

“I couldn’t get it out of my head how good it was,” says Grant. “So I went to the dairy, learnt the recipe and was inspired to produce something even better. This coincided with my brother marrying into a dairy farm in Oxfordshire – and so Ampersand was born.”

Nine years on, Ampersand is still in Oxfordshire, but on a much bigger farm in Bloxham, just outside Banbury. And has the thirst for perfection been sated?

“Can anything ever be perfect?” laughs Grant. “I love experimenting and I’m constantly trialling new ideas. I’m currently on a zero-waste mission and trialling recipes for buttermilk fudge and ice cream, so watch this space!”

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