The production of Maldon Salt still relies on the favourable dry conditions, which have enabled the salt industry to develop and flourish on the east coast of England for many centuries.
Water for processing is taken after a period of dry weather on the fortnightly highs, commonly know as 'spring tides', when the salt content is invariable at its maximum. The water is then transferred to large holding tanks where it is allowed to settle. After careful filtering it is then drawn off as required, to fill the saltpans.
The large evaporating stainless steel saltpans are mounted on an intricate system of brick flues designed to give the specific heating pattern required.
Originally the furnaces burned coal shipped from the north of England, and were hand-fired. This required considerable skill in ensuring that the correct temperatures where obtained at different stages of the boiling process. Today, although the furnaces are fired by natural gas, skill in maintaining the correct temperatures is essential.
During the evaporation of the seawater, salt crystals begin to form on the surface. These form as tiny hollow pyramid-like structures, which are unique to the Maldon process. As the crystals become heavier they sink to the bottom of the saltpan.
'Drawing the pans' - The ancient craft of hand-harvesting
the salt crystals, using the traditional long handled rakes,
is still practised by the company today
The pans are allowed to cool slowly overnight and are then 'drawn'. This involves hand harvesting the crystals using traditionally made long handled rakes. The salt is then put into shallow drainage bins before finally being transferred to the salt store for drying and packaging.
