Sel de Guérande

There are two types of salt produced in Guérande and similar places around France. Gros sel is unrefined, grey in colour and is imparted by the clay of the salt pools. It has a lovely seaweedy taste and is much lower in sodium than refined salt. My designer salt cellar at home has long since been exchanged for a hearty-looking preserving jar filled with wet, irregular crystals of gros sel Guérandais. It is a simple and pretty much compulsory condiment for dishes such as beef pot au feu, or potée, where its strong crunch livens up the melting meat and vegetables. Somehow this salt doesn’t seem such an unhealthy thing to be adding to my cooking; it holds no chemicals or preservatives and it gives personality to each mouthful of food.