Unrefined Salts
Salt, in general terms, has been the subject of much negative attention over many years. It is our belief that using a natural unrefined salt is healthy and beneficial. Real, unrefined, unadulterated sea salt is a very different substance to common "table salt" and most of the sea salts that are widely consumed. These commercial salts are stripped of many of their minerals and may have additives, like aluminium, to aid free-flowing.
Traditionally Produced Guerande Grey Sea Salt
We keep traditionally harvested Guerande Sea Salt from Brittany. Real unrefined, unprocessed salt should be a grey colour, which denotes its mineral content. Our Guerande natural sea salt carries a certification from "Nature and Progress" a French organic and environmental standard, which denotes its purity, quality and sustainability.
Also we have Fleur de Sel, a special sea salt that is only made when the natural conditions are right. This is considered by some to be the highest quality of traditional unrefined Sea Salts, and is prized by chefs for its flavour. Often used as a 'finishing' salt.
Sea salt has been produced in Brittany using the same ancient methods for several thousand years. Wooden tools are used. Wood is considered an inert material which will not harm the delicate balance of the salt. Metal is considered too harsh and potentially reacts with the salt. To release the salt, the sea water is not evaporated by the introduction of an artificial heat source, the way most modern sea salts are made. It is believed this damages the delicate structure of the salt. Instead, in the Guerande they pass this sea water through several kilometres of special clay lined channels and pools of varying depths. The water slowly evaporates under the influence of nature: the wind and the sun. In addition to this at a certain point in the year the conditions are just right for salt to crystallise on the surface of the lagoons. This is gathered carefully by skilled craftsmen called Paludiers. The result is the precious and delicately flavoured Fleur de Sel.
The seawater then carries on its journey through the channels and pools until it has evaporated enough leaving only the natural grey salt crystals behind. These crystals are then raked up by hand with wooden tools.
The people in this region have made their living in this way, in balance and harmony with their environment continually for many centuries. The region is a haven for wildlife. The pristine environment is really bursting with life.
Many believe the most healthful of all the salts is the "coarse" grey Salt.
This salt is unground, naturally formed crystals with a damp feel. The natural salt crystals clump together and appear larger due to the full spectrum mineral content - particularly magnesium - which attracts moisture. In tests this grey sea salt has been shown to contain approximately 70% sodium chloride, leaving approximately 30% to be other minerals etc.
This type of salt contains a full spectrum of the natural minerals that occur in the sea, nothing is removed. It is said that even the act of grinding the salt can potentially cause the loss of "gases" from inside the natural crystals.
This salt may not be ideal for your salt mill, but will be great stored in a traditional salt “pig” or salt pot. We use a beautiful Miron glass bowl and serve it with a small carved wooden spoon.
