Can The Sea-Spice Company make room on your shelf for seaweed seasoning?

Fife's shoreline inspired Fiona Houston and Xa Milne's 'sea-sons'

When Fiona Houston and Xa Milne were researching for their 2008 foraging handbook Seaweed and Eat It, Fife’s Forth shoreline was a frequent hunting ground. The interest of chefs on subsequent foraging tours to the East Neuk opened their eyes further.

‘We realised all this kelp was an unbelievable natural resource,’ explains Houston. The pair set up The Sea-Spice Company, which collects, dries then mills single varieties of seaweed into packets of ‘sea-sons’ that can be used to give distinctive flavours to stews, soups, fish dishes, grills and – in the hands of some of the top chefs they’re now supplying – foams and even ice-creams.

For now their raw material arrives for packing in Elie from different parts of the British Isles, but they hope to establish a Scottish supply as demand grows.