A NEWPORT company is among the latest businesses which champion the use of Pembrokeshire produce and has been officially recognised for the outstanding quality of their food and drink in the annual Pembrokeshire Produce Mark Awards.

Pembrokeshire Sea Salt Company - with its homemade sea salt and salted caramel sauce – was one of the winners in the best new product category announced by the chairman of Pembrokeshire County Council, Cllr Paul Harries at the County Show outside Haverfordwest.

The concept of producing salt first came to Sherrill Evans when she was making sea salt body scrubs.

Given that she was living so close to the sea, she thought it might be worth giving salt production a go at home.

Armed with buckets, bottles and funnels, seawater collection and salt production experimentation began, returning some promising results.

The salt being produced was not only good enough to replace the shop-bought sea salt she was using for the scrubs, but the high-quality taste and texture meant it was good enough to eat.

“We’ve come a long way since we were collecting seawater with buckets" said business partner Josh Wright.

“In the year we’ve been operating, our range has been extended and now includes plain salt, five flavoured salts plus the salted caramel sauce, which has been a firm favourite with the public.”

Based just outside Newport, Pembrokeshire Sea Salt Company’s products, including salted caramel sauce, can be found in selected delicatessens, food festivals and local producers’ markets.

Other winners announced at the Pembrokeshire County Show included Pembrokeshire Scallops, run by local divers Neil Walters and Ceri who harvest the scallops by hand, leaving no damage to the sea-bed.

“We focus on two things at Pembrokeshire Scallops: a desire to provide our customers with the best tasting shellfish and to ensure their homes on the sea-beds off our coast are well preserved and maintained for future generations to come,” said Neil

The Pembrokeshire Produce Mark scheme recognises county businesses which excel in providing or sourcing local food and drink. Members display a unique logo which helps customers to identify that the product is local.

The scheme has more than 300 members, which are verified to ensure that the product they sell or use is made in Pembrokeshire.