Halen Môn Pure White Sea Salt

Does salt need reviewing? Well, with Halen Môn, yes, I think it does. We all use salt, to a greater or lesser degree, and use it in so many ways - while we're cooking as a seasoning, on our chips, even when making Margarittas (more on that later!). So why not be sure to use the best you can?

Stephen and I conducted a taste test, pitting Halen Mon against Tesco's own free-flow table salt. Obviously, to look at they are hugely different

The crystals are stunning beautiful and really big compared to other sea salts I've used in the past. But, they are soft enough to crush between your fingers and it is very good in a grinder.

Compared to "normal" salt, Halen Môn really zings on your tongue and when you use it on a food with a high water content (we tried it with tomatoes and cucumbers) it really brings out the flavour of both the food and the salt. On its own, it tastes like the sea smells.

We tried their best known product, the pure white sea salt, but they also make four other flavours - With Organic Celery Seeds, With Tahitian Vanilla, With Welsh Oak and With Organic Spices. Unfortunately my local Waitrose doesn't stock these, so I will have to keep my eyes peeled when I'm visiting good delis or buy online. I'm particularly intrigued by the With Tahitian Vanilla flavour, not a combination I've come across before.

Compared to free-flow table salt, Halen Môn isn't cheap. We paid £4.49 for a 250g pot in Waitrose. But, this isn't a mass-produced industrial product and you are paying for not only the superior taste, but the time and care that goes into making it.

So, to round off, back to the Margaritta! Now obviously I wanted to test the salt to its very limits, so decided that a Margarita was the way to go and I'm pleased to say it stuck to the rim of the glass, just as it should. If you want to join me in a cocktail, here's my recipe:

- 50ml tequila
- 15ml Cointreau, Triple Sec or another orange liquor
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- Ice, crushed if possible