Our premium sea salt, known as Salcombe sea salt, is made from carefully selected Atlantic seawater salt gathered by boat off the South Hams coast.
Our premium sea salt, known as Salcombe sea salt, is made from carefully selected Atlantic seawater salt gathered by boat off the South Hams coast.
Salcombe, derived from the Anglo-Saxon Sealt Cumb, meaning Salt Valley, has a name that predates the town itself, the harbour, and any records of habitation. It reflects the unique characteristics of the area, particularly the Atlantic seawater salt that flows through it. The Kingsbridge ria, one of the finest remaining seagrass estuaries in Britain, is a drowned valley that brings in Atlantic water twice daily across ancient Devonian geology. At Start Point, the southernmost extension of the South Hams peninsula, this Atlantic seawater salt is funneled through a two-knot tidal stream on every flood tide, continuously refreshing the entire system with its open ocean character and contributing to the renowned Salcombe sea salt.
Every serious chef knows that salt is not just salt. What few salt producers have ever offered is the ability to explain precisely why. The Saltmelier reads tidal state, season, weather, and harvest station much like a master winemaker reads the vineyard on the morning of harvest. Whether it's Atlantic seawater salt or the distinct qualities of Salcombe sea salt and South Hams sea salt, the salt is the crystalline record of that judgement.
Merroir, derived from 'mer', the French word for sea, represents the marine equivalent of terroir, reflecting the unique character that Atlantic seawater salt imparts to the products sourced from it. Oyster growers have embraced this term for years, yet no salt producer has documented it with such scientific rigor.
The South Hams, situated on a 415 million-year-old Devonian formation of slate, schist, limestone, and grit, was once a shallow tropical sea. Each tide that flows through the Kingsbridge ria interacts with that ancient rock. Every crystal of Salcombe sea salt encapsulates a fragment of this mineral history. This is merroir made edible, traceable batch by batch, to the specific conditions of its harvest, showcasing the essence of South Hams sea salt.