Blackthorn Salt
Making beautiful and delicious crystals on the West Coast of Scotland using the Sea, Wind and Thorns
20/06/2024
And so our Blackthorn learning curve continues… It has been a busy couple of weeks with a London trip; 4 Trade and educational Tower Tours; a Blackthorn talk at a local Arts Festival; the disappointment of losing a large customer, the excitement of gaining 2 more; being guests at the Scran Awards in Glasgow and a big party to look forward to on Saturday as the original 5 generation family salt business is 150 years old and we are having a Salt Fest!!
We had the privilege of being part of a Discover London and & Meet the Buyer event hosted by who were fantastic, thank you, meeting all our needs, spoon-feeding us relevant market insights – that ‘Food-To-Go-but-with-quality’ culture is really strong and the inventiveness of those busy London cafes to meet this interest is amazing! Another knowledge nugget we took away, which is probably obvious to everyone else, was that London literally has double the number of people in it than the whole of Scotland… 10.8 million to our 5.4, mind-blowing and no wonder we were a little out of our comfort zone on the rush hour tubes and escalators, trying to work out the etiquette and the maps!
for our small plate-sharing lunch was so much fun, even as an experience alone in an incredible place, but all those exotic foodie platefuls really made it – it even has a mico brewery in the crypts!!
Thanks also to Bryce .farm for keeping me on my toes and brain-storming the whole way home - by the time we reached Glasgow, we pretty much had the rest of the carriage joining us in debating how to meet the challenges in today’s foodie-world. Much of it, when it comes to sustainable practises and quality products, it seems is helped by knowledge-sharing and learning, whether with eachother, with customers from all sectors, with governmental/scientific decision/policy makers, at Blackthorn, even last week’s school children opened our eyes and tested our boundaries.
Happy busy days…
The weather has a major impact on the daily duties of a Blackthorn Salter, with numerous variables to consider not least temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and salt concentration in seawater. For much of the time, the natural forces of the West Coast of Scotland work perfectly with the method. Our Salter, Malky, watches closely and has learnt to anticipate the weather's changing moods in order to ensure the Tower works smoothly, adjusting each of its 54 wooden taps to ensure efficiency and reduce any wastage.
Every day, this incredible structure gently harnesses the power of wind and sun, eventually (depending on the weather!) 90% or 24,000L of water from each batch of seawater is dried off. We take that now super-salty-brine to the Pan House, where delicate Blackthorn flakes are slowly grown over 5 days, until they are scooped out and harvested by hand (or paddle!).
As we all know, it is not always a strong sun and fine breeze that prevails here in , so on the more exciting, ramballiach days, Malky uses his refractometer along with a sensor on the Tower to watch for any drop in salinity levels. Then we simply pause circulation and wait until the rain stops. Interestingly, it isn't as often as you would think - salinity will still increase, albeit slowly, in drizzle or at night - the Tower was at a standstill for only 2 days this January.
This simple, but well-honed method from the 16th century is so beautifully integrated with nature and we can picture the salters of old squinting at the horizon in much the same way as Malky does now. ⏳💚
08/06/2024
Since we’re unable to offer Tower Tours at the moment due to our busy schedule, our team is especially thrilled to be part of the Girvan Arts Festival this Sunday. It’s an exciting chance for us to share our work with you firsthand.
Please come see our method in action and taste some Blackthorn Salt!💚
30/05/2024
Like much of the country, we were graced with sky-fulls of wonder the other day.
Our Salter Malky took these of the Northern Lights over Blackthorn HQ and the Thorn Tower as he was checking over things for the night.
There is something pretty special about the way natural phenomena can still make all of us peeps stop to draw breath. Humbling, awe-inspiring, and perspective confounding…
Meanwhile, the Tower chuntered on, doing its thing, enjoying the dry night air and giving us lots of brine in the morning!
23/05/2024
Virtual Blackthorn Tour: Welcome to our world!🌍
We are often asked if we can give Tower Tours, but sadly, unless they are trade, media, or education-related, we simply aren't able - we are just a small team, busy with the glamorous day-2-day of salt making, boxing and sending out.
We don't have permanent public facing facilities or even the time to do it justice. Often as not, nor do folk have the time to drive here, to the South West Coast of to have a look. But we are really keen to share what we do and be open and transparent so, we had a think and now we are super excited to finally have this Virtual Tour on our website:
- You can meet our team (*please be kind, we are simply salters not seasoned presenters!
- Learn how The Blackthorn Method works, explore The Thorn Tower; look inside; zoom in on whatever you like, the thorns, the horizon, the brine;
- Visit the Pan House where all the alchemy happens and hear about our ways there;
- Discover the our cosy HQ carriage and learn something about the history of Scottish Salt making...
It's not perfect, but hopefully it answers some questions and please let us know if there is anything missing!
Thanks so much to Liam Airborne Lens for converting this idea to reality and your patience!
We really hope you enjoy it!💚
However, we try to accommodate by holing an occasional 'Open Day or the Blackthorn Big Day Out' where we set aside a day and all are welcome. This year we might be trying something a bit different, but we will keep you posted!
16/05/2024
What a lovely day we had ‘in the office’ last week as we were visited by Shona Sutherland , internationally renowned and incredibly talented pastry chef!💚
Suffice to say, we learnt so much, Shona was incredibly generous with her time, knowledge and chocolates which were incredible, especially given our very simple set up in the carriage!
Snacking Bars- this was a literally a treat to the senses and so exciting combining Xoco Gourmet chocolate casing with wonderful flavours from across Scotland into one seriously inspired bar of deliciousness. Shona’s Scottish raspberries, strong and pure balanced with a delicate Scottish oat crumble, beautiful The Edinburgh Butter Co. butter and a dash of Mossgiel Organic Farm Ayrshire cream and milk as well as the sweet, rich The Scottish Bee Company honey, the depth and intrigue of Ayrshire’s Lochlea Distillery
whisky, with… Blackthorn Salt.
Then there was a clear refreshing taste of old fashioned summer garden mint infused chocolate bars, again with Blackthorn - such a beautiful gentle surprise - thoughtful and delicious!
Lastly, Shona produced some perfect crispy shortbread thins and dipped them in the chocolate and adorned with a pinch of Blackthorn and more Xoco Gourmet cocoa nibs. It was bliss, so morish and reverberating with decadence!
Rest assured we will share more details and recipes on our website soon and very much hope that they bring as much joy to your kitchen as they did to our carriage!
Thank you very much to the extremely generous and lovely Shona for coming and sharing her knowledge with us. We loved every moment and just wish we had even an ounce of the skill that you have, thank you!🙏
TODAY 8pm on BBC 2:
And it’s back again… Tonight they are showing that fab behind-the-scenes look at the awe-inspiring Glenapp Castle - A Relais & Châteaux Hotel with the lovely Monica Galetti. They came to visit for a wee focus in on which was just awesome!
It was such a privilege to be a part of this and meet Monica and the talented team behind . A huge thank you! 🙏
Here is a selection of the bigger crystals that we have gathered up this Spring!💚
One of the most exciting aspects of making Blackthorn is witnessing the crystals develop from their start as tiny transparent cubes, small as a grain of sand, which appear scattered across the pans. They grow slowly in gently swirling constellations on the brine's surface. Outwards, from each corner, linear striations develop until, complete now, one side dips allowing liquid in which weighs them down and gently they settle at the bottom.
Once dry, you can see each striation clearly forming a brilliant sparkling matrix, no two the same. The occasional cubic-shaped one is from the last crystals formed, when the brine is nearly finished and the surface tension no longer creating that pyramid effect.
In terms of how best to apply Blackthorn, we are often asked if it's ok to grind it in a mill, and the truth is there are no rules. Because it is a seasalt, Blackthorn naturally contains more moisture than the classic milled salts so you may want to dry it a wee bit more (5mins!) and give it a good 'shuggle' before popping it in the mill. That said, we always prefer by hand, as this allows us to change the size as we go along, really control the quantity and that 'scrunch' is so satisfying!✨
18/04/2024
Rooted in nature, Blackthorn is a ‘salt of the world’ as well as ‘for the world’, and we strive to embody this connection in every aspect of what we do.
The natural world is endlessly inspiring. At the moment, the sight of delicate blackthorn blossoms has taken on a new level of excitement for our team and we are more than ready for some of the warmer weather that it is heralds!
It was these blossoms that the talented Graven team captured and represented so strikingly on our packaging design and logos.
As the corrosive characteristics of salt are not ideal for eco-friendly packaging, we spent a lot of time deliberating how to present our precious flakes and it was with huge relief to finally hit upon our recyclable boxes, all one piece without extra bags or wrapping, made just up the coast in Irvine from from recyclable, sustainably sourced board. The boxes arrive flat-lack and we assemble them individually by hand on site, just steps away from the Tower, Pan House and sea.
Sustainability, the environment, quality and heritage aren’t tick boxes and wow-words to us, they what we seek to we measure ourselves by and improve. We know that our wee boxes aren’t perfect, but we are proud of them all the same! 💚
05/04/2024
It's that time!✨
Exciting times are ahead for our lovely Sales Manager, Hayley, as she embarks on her maternity leave journey.
Your expertise and dedication have always been a source of inspiration for us all! Our team will miss you so much, and we can't wait to meet your bundle of joy.
At Blackthorn, we are always here for you and wishing you all the best during this special time with your family, Hayley!💚
It was exciting to see Saturday Morning with James Martin last week which had a wee segment on salt! There are so many choices out there and they are all so different and, of course, it was lovely to see Blackthorn on James’ table again.
The last time we were on his show he called Gregorie a cross between W***y Wonka and Noah’s Ark and Salt ‘one of the most exciting things in terms of food in this country’!
31/03/2024
Easter week end seemed like a great time to introduce the wonderful Yuliia, who spent a funny couple of hours with the girls showing them how eggs are decorated in the Ukraine.
Yuliia joined the Blackthorn Team in January and has met every challenge that comes her way with a sunny smile and bucketloads of determination, common sense and laughter. Mainly focusing on marketing, Yuliia has brought organisation and professionalism to these pages, but she also makes sure our customer service is top notch and arranges everything we need for Tower Visitors, comes to trade shows and all sorts.
Everyone multitasks in our small team at Blackthorn, but Yuliia takes that to another level! Welcome Yuliia and thank you for everything you do and bringing so much sunshine to the Blackthorn workspace!
Wishing everyone a very Happy Easter!💚
Spring harvesting!✨
While the Tower handles 90% of the method, our skilled Salters take care of the final 10% in the Pan House where they use their skills and patience to draw off the distinctive crystals.
Blackthorn has become renown for its complex flavour, depth, mellowness and the lasting notes that leave you wanting more after your last mouthful- would recommend timing with a stop watch!!
This is due to the blackthorn bark tannins combining with the mineral composition of our seawater. It’s not achieved in a few hours of boiling, but days and days of gently steeping. In this way we are able to keep around six times more calcium, magnesium, potassium- each of which substantially affect the character and taste of the salt (just as a toy of gin might to tonic, or milk to tea).
We filter- physically not chemically - but we don’t bleach, ‘seed’, wash or add (neither chemical nor salty), we simply retain. 💚
Our talented Salter, Malky, has been working tirelessly, replacing one of the 18 sections of the Tower’s thorns. Malky battled with those hugely spiney bundles, the cold and the wind for the around a week, but he is thrilled with the result: one super-efficient section of smart thorns is already in action and drying seawater alongside its friends! Each year we will be changing just a single section, meaning we can keep the rest of the Tower running and ensure consistency of those earthy tannins in our salt. Thanks to Mal, this gruelling, spikey job is already complete.
It is important for us to always be open to change and look to improve, so, since it’s the Tower’s first makeover in years, we’re diving deep and experimenting along the way – this time the new section will be twice as deep, giving a far larger surface area and improving the efficiency now end, on top of that, soon it will have a slightly different trickle method at the top as well, with mini seawater tributaries coming from both sides to try and cover the thorns more entirely rather than allowing flows areas of greater saturation, or ‘thalweg-equivalents’ if you like, running down some areas.
So, it’s really a whopping thank you to Malky from the rest of us at Blackthorn, for taking on the thorns for the love of salt! 🙌🏼
… And just after International Women’s Day, comes Mother’s Day…
This will be such a hard day for some of us and so special for others- we wish all mothers, and lovely motherly folk, past, present and future the best of Days 💚
The littlest Blackthorner, had so much fun with Yuliia making this in the carriage, that we couldn’t resist the over-share (apologies!). Whipping up this delightful and easy cheesecake is so failsafe, hassle and stress free that it could be considered selfish not to put it up here. No cooking needed and it’s totally yum!
Ingredients:
- 250g biscuits
- 100g melted butter
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 500g soft cheese
- 100g icing sugar
- A pinch of Blackthorn
- 150g white chocolate
- favorite fruits
Method:
1. Mix melted butter with crushed biscuits and press into a 23cm loose-bottomed tin, lined with baking parchment. Ensure crumbs are evenly coated and press down firmly to create a smooth, even layer. Chill in fridge for 1 hour to set.
2. For the filling, combine soft cheese, icing sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of Blackthorn in a bowl until smooth. Stir in melted white chocolate until fully combined. Spoon mixture onto the biscuit base, starting from the edges and working inwards to avoid air bubbles (fab tip that one!!).
Decorate with a great dose of excitement…
3. Pop it in the fridge overnight.
Et Voila! Enjoy your homemade cheesecake and have a fab day whoever and wherever you are 🍰✨
09/03/2024
What a remarkable week it has been!🏴🌍
We’re grateful for the incredible opportunity to be part of the Showcasing Scotland 2024 project by Scotland Food and Drink. It was a privilege to host buyers from around the world in Ayr and introduce them to the exceptional local dairy products from Taste of Arran, Connage Cheese, St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Company, Errington Cheese, and Ballochmyle Fine Cheese, as well as the delicious meats from East Coast Cured. Learning more about the dairy industry and exploring the stories behind each producer, both new and familiar to us, was incredibly inspiring.
Later in the week, Blackthorn’s Whirly, along with around 150 other Scottish producers, received a warm welcome at the Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts for an amazing supper followed by 2 full days of international buyer meetings, speed dating style at the EICC and an impressively beautiful gala meal at the National Museum of Scotland, complete with a dozen pipe and drummers with heart thrumming tunes amongst the guests, dinosaur heads and sarcophagi.
It was truly massive and unforgettable, we were honoured to be there and proud to be Scottish.
Thank you so much to the whole team at Scotland Food & Drink and Scottish Development International for working so hard and delivering such a fantastic event. We hope all those buyers have managed to make it home safe and sound and fingers crossed Blackthorn may be popping up in another country near you soon!!🤞💚
24/02/2024
We had a great day with the brilliant chef Peter McKenna and Mathieu Barbe in Ayr last week end. Peter was so kind both bring and cook the most amazingly stunning scallops and langoustine for all of us, and he even gave Millie a wee cooking masterclass – such a treat and it seems super cheeky to be calling that ‘work’, what a privilege. The post tour ‘buisness’ meetings in the carriage are a great fun and you never know what is going to happen next!
🦞Peter didn’t even bat an eyelid at our (now familiar) lack of apparatus, and devised ingenious techniques for cooking these wonders to perfection. In half shell for the scallops atop the toasty embers of woodburner with a touch of butter and Blackthorn – they even had to be cut in half because they were so enormous! For the langos, he simply split them down the middle and kind of steamed them on the stove top, but under the lid, served plain as, just with Blackthorn and a lot of excitement. Just delicious and such good company!
Peter and his team at The Gannet came down to see us way back just after the first Lockdown at in the early days of Blackthorn Salt, so it was fantastic to touch base again and we can’t see the new menus!💚
20/02/2024
This week, the poor Tower looks a wee bit like a child that has lost its front tooth, but it is all good - we're starting something big and exciting!✨
Now that the Tower has been up and running for a few years, it is time to start the next stage and Salter, Malky, is diligently replacing a single section of thorns on the Tower, which he will do once a year from now on.
The old thorns will all be used, some returning to the soil to enrich the land for the next generation of Blackthorn at the fields that we have planted up, others for a wee experimental project that we have in mind. Although these thorns are still actually working well, we need to change them one section at a time, rather than all at once, to make it so that we are able to keep Blackthorn consistent in terms of both tannin levels from the blackthorn bark and also not affect production levels.
Not to worry it will only be literally a couple of days until the full section is replaced and our Tower can stand proud again in all its glory, but it's fun to see it from this angle for a bit!💚🙌
05/02/2024
The essence of Blackthorn methods lies in harmonizing with the natural forces of Scotland’s West Coast. Our tower harnesses wind and sun to naturally dry nearly 90% of the water content of each batch of seawater throughout the year; however, during the coldest days of winter, the Blackthorn Tower can succumb to freezing temperatures, interrupting its usual drying method.
Despite this challenge, there is a remarkable allure to the sight of the frozen tower, revealing its striking beauty even amidst winter conditions, so we forgive it for having a teeny break!! ✨
25/01/2024
It's Burns' Night! As the salty breeze from our coastline carries whispers of history, we're reminded of the profound connection between past and present.⏳
Burns himself roamed these lands, drawing inspiration from their beauty and charm. The salt that permeates our air and flavours our dishes is more than just a seasoning: it's a symbol of traditions passed down through generations.
Rabbie grew up with salt from this very coastline, and set great store by it - using it both in the kitchen, but also symbolically for protection and good fortune. We're proud to continue to celebrate his legacy and cherish our heritage with love and respect.
We hope you've chosen Blackthorn Salt to accompany your haggis, neeps, and tatties, but whatever your choice, may the celebration be filled with the warmth of hospitality. In the spirit of Burns may every soul be esteemed with the highest regard.
Tonight, we not only celebrate a poet but a timelessness that unites us all. Here's to a Burns' Night filled with laughter, love, and the unmistakable spirit of Scotland.🏴
PS Thank you to the National Trust for Scotland volunteer who kindly gave us so much of his time as we wandered around today!
15/12/2023
Somehow letting the children and Lottie in on (and take over) our very organised and highly professional Blackthorn Christmas photo shoot became a a tad chaotic and dark before we knew it… but very cute!
Hope the teachers enjoy their Blackthorn and reap in the glory of
✨ great heath,
✨prosperity and
✨protection
that a gift of salt in Scotland (and many other parts of the world) is traditionally thought to bring.
03/12/2023
A week in the life of Blackthorn… The Freeze, a harvest, a shoot, trialing, talking and magazines
Yes, even the Tower, in all its saltiness, has been frozen solid at times- we increased the trickle-rate and salinity to get it going again Gregorie and Malky have been harvesting away for all those Christmas orders (thank you so much!);
experimenting with Christmas Kimchi Sprout fermenting (thank you .sam.black for the inspiration) and all the ‘burping’ that entails;
following the Mini-Mini Tower travels to Margiotta’s tasting sessions in Edinburgh and the Foodies by SDX window display in Glasgow; a magazine feature photo shoot for next year, watch this space; an appearance in British Vogue and another in the Thesundaytimes.co.uk
We were more than ready for a beautiful week end of ice skating on a pond with the children and glorious food with friends! Just about all set for whatever next week brings 🤞
14/11/2023
We are proud to announce the latest addition to the Blackthorn Family: coming in at a lovely, healthy 1.4kg - we are all smitten already!
Joking aside, we know it’s perhaps not especially glamorous and is apparently simple, but this larger card-only box has taken up a lot of thought, several iterations of samples and trials to perfect the card, the perforations and the rest! Ultimately it is our best attempt at a plastic-free way to provide salt in larger quantities without breaking the bank in glassware/ceramic or wood.
It comes to us flat-pack from a company just 11 miles away, we then build them and fill them up by hand at Blackthorn, literally metres from where the crystals grow.
It joins the rest of the team, all wearing striking Graven Images artwork:
A wee 5g pocket-or ‘lipstick’ size, fab for favours;
A neat 120g for thank yous and thoughtful stocking presents;
A 240g for those who know;
and
The 1.4kg tub, generally with hospitality and manufacturing customers in mind, some serious home foodies and cooks… but there are no rules!
As always, if we can do anything at all to support or if you have any ideas/suggestions*, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
**still hunting for an eco solution for a larger 12.5kg container**
04/11/2023
Happy Saturday…
Thank you to The Times and journalist Charlotte Alt for making some space and being interested in Blackthorn for the paper and online today!
Scotland Food & Drink
03/11/2023
The breathtaking sunrise over Arran and the shipwreck this morning made setting up for a Food School Scotland Hub International visit especially difficult!
Then such a great bunch of visitors arrived- a select group of young people for whom life isn’t always easy. They noticed everything, through all the senses too, which made me notice things more too.
From spiders in the thorn spines, to the feel of the food safety garments we have to wear in the Pan House, the smell of the brine and, of course, all the different tastes.
Despite professing to being incredibly naughty, these guys were incredibly great and engaging to be around - thank you to the staff for organising and bringing them down. It was an eye opener for all of us, in a good way.
24/10/2023
Masterchefs of Great Britain kindly included Blackthorn in a couple of events recentlv.
Culinary students are brought together to watch and learn from some of the most renowned and respected chefs using some of Scotland's most glorious produce.
These events give us the chance to learn from the Masters.
This one, held at Prestonfield house hotel, Ednburgh , welcomed Chefs Steven Doughherty and Derek Johnstone, Jeff Bland and Richard Dalgleish and then Graeme Cheevers - 1lost count of the Michelin star wonders that they all have between them! Yet many of the tips they shared were (seemingly) simple and doable- eg always remove the wishbone from a game bird before cooking; sit it upright on its bottom rather than laying flat like you would a chicken; rest the meat for as long as you cook it... few wee nuggets that we will be putting into action. But their dishes looked and smelled out of this world, just stunning!
Having the opportunity to see them working with Blackthorn and hearing their thoughts is so exciting for us- here is a snippet, thank you Chef Jeff!!
It is a real privilege to attend these events - the educational ethos of MCGB is something that we value and try to support as much as we can. Playing a wee part in a campaign that promotes healthy eating, using fresh produce and education can only be a great thing and being able to meet students face to face is fantastic.
Thank you to George Mcivor and Serena Mcivor and the team at Masterchefs of GB, Ernie from Mark Murphy part of The Total Produce Group for the gorgeous strawberries and to the guys at Harvey and Brockless for their exceptional cheeses and cured meats - so yum!
UNALOME by Graeme Cheevers
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