For a long time, fleur de sel was not sold at all — it was the salt workers' own salt, kept on the marshes and eaten by the sauniers themselves. Known in France as the caviar of salt, it is skimmed by hand from the very surface of the salt beds each summer, where wind and sun draw the lightest crystals to the surface before they sink. Slightly moist, with a gentle crunch and a clean mineral flavour, it melts slowly on the tongue and lifts the food it touches without overpowering it. This is what finishing salt is meant to do.
The salt marshes of Aigues-Mortes, at the edge of the Camargue in southern France, have been producing salt since the 4th century BC — organised by Roman engineers, expanded through the Middle Ages, and formalised into the salin as it exists today in 1856. The 8,000 hectares of marshland are now protected as a Natura 2000 site, home to flamingos and rare flora. The sauniers manage the movement of water and wind across the beds throughout the year, monitoring salinity daily and adapting to each season's weather — a tradition passed down through generations.
Dip a fresh slice of Huddle sourdough into a mixture of olive oil and balsamic, with a sprinkle of fleur de sel. A small jar that makes simple things taste more like themselves.
