The sustainable salt producers
If you find yourself in Whitby in the summer months, keep a keen eye out for an immaculate old blue and white fishing boat steered by a chap in a blue gansey. A tall order, you might think, but if you spot it, that’s Archie off on his travels to bring sea water back to land to make Whitby Sea Salt.
Originally from Bolton and with a background in construction, Darren Archiebald (known only as Archie) took a job at Tatton Estate in Cheshire and became the head foreman, intending to stay a year or so before moving to Whitby where his wife Rebecca is from. Twelve months became ten years, but they did eventually relocate to the coast, and in 2020 founded Whitby Sea Salt.
One of the first jobs was to buy a boat, and Archie found a 1963 coble built in Amble and took a year restoring it to its former glory. He goes out between April and October to harvest the salt water: ‘It’s an ancient and simple method of making salt using just the wind and the sun – there are no additives or mechanical ways of processing it, we’re not keen on any kind of intervention.’
Archie siphons sea water from a spot between Whitby and Sandsend, and the water is spread out on huge trays in a drying shed for around four weeks until it crystallises. Through solar evaporation, the result is remarkable. The flakes are larger than most other commercial salt, and if you want to reduce the size, just use a pestle and mortar. Their minimal impact on the environment continues in the packaging - 100% plastic free, designed and manufactured to be 100% recyclable.
It’s very much a family business, with Rebecca in charge of the drying and packing process, while daughter Scarlett designs the labelling and looks after the website. They’re collaborating with Fortune’s Smokehouse to produce smoked sea salt – but bag it as soon as you see it - the first batch sold out overnight! Black Salt has recently been added to their portfolio, made with squid ink ‘for an even more intense taste of the sea’. Every production has a limited run so if you’re fortunate enough to get your hands on some, snaffle it!
Whitby Sea Salt’s watchwords are sustainability and accountability: ‘we work with the weather’ says Archie, and it’s important to us to keep an ancient tradition and our coastal heritage alive’.