Is butter a carb? Actually… NO! And now it’s even MORE delicious too

Demonised for years as being high in saturated fat, there’s no doubt that butter is now very much back in vogue.

From paleo plans to your morning bulletproof coffee – at the core of a load of healthy eating habits of the moment is grass-fed butter.

In fact, far from being something to avoid, in moderation the food is something of a nutritional powerhouse: think oodles of vitamins A, D, and K-2, not to mention heart-disease preventing CLA.

So here at SHEmazing! we were pretty excited to see that the Improper Butter brand is expanding for the festive season.

Enter the wholly Christmas-appropriate trio of sage, rosemary & thyme butter; boozy brandy butter; and cinnamon & honey butter.

Yes, we’re already thinking of the yuletide delights we’ll be whipping up when the limited-edition range is finally released at the end of this month.

Because, in short, Improper makes us seem waaaay more competent in the kitchen than we actually are – so any expansion of what the brand currently has on shelves is to be warmly welcomed.

Suddenly we are Donal Skehan (albeit with less impressive hair): we bring steak alive with a dollop of garlic, snazzy up fish with sunblushed tomato & basil, and concoct a mean prawn dish from scratch with garlic, chilli & basil.

And it’s not just us either. Since the brand’s launch last year (it’s available in SuperValu stores, close-to a dozen Tesco outlets around Dublin, and in gourmet grocers nationwide) it’s proved immensely popular with fabulous foodies and creative culinary types.

Driven by talented 20-something businesswomen Elaine Lavery and Hannah O’Reilly – the duo met in UCD before they graduated in 2012 AND they’ve already been backed by the Dragons – Improper has recently launched in the UK too.

Need some inspiration to put the brand’s festive range into good use? Check out Elaine and Hannah’s top tips below:

1) Sage, rosemary & thyme butter – with fresh Christmas herbs. Butter under the skin of your turkey or bird of choice before roasting, to keep it succulent and tasty. Or why not create the perfect stuffing? Simply melt down one pack and add 300-500g of breadcrumbs. RRP €2.89 for 100g.

2) Boozy brandy butter – with brown sugar, brandy, lemon and orange zest. Not just for Christmas puddings and mince pies. Slather over scones, toasted brioche and pancakes in the run up to the big day. We’ll go back to counting calories in January. RRP €3.49 for 100g.

3) Cinnamon & honey butter – smooth honey and freshly ground cinnamon. Swirl through porridge or spread on toast, French toast, pancakes, scones and waffles. The best suggestion yet? Melt and toss over popcorn (YES!) while you gather round for your family’s favourite festive film. €1.99 for 100g.

The three new seasonal Improper festive butters will be available from November 23 for a limited five-week run in SuperValu stores nationwide as well as independent stockists, including Fallon & Byrne and Donnybrook Fair, both in Dublin. Also see improperbutter.com.