Philip Tanswell
Our Suppliers: Cornish Sea Salt
Name: Philip Tanswell
Job Title: Managing Director
Nickname: The Salt Geek!
Time in role: Since the beginning in 2007
Favourite part of the Job:
For me, there’s two parts. One, getting people to try different salts and understand the difference in taste. And two, the technical development, energy reduction and how to improve those systems.
Creating a tasty flavour and getting people to understand why things taste like they do after using good quality salt is really exciting. We do a test taking a tomato where you try half with normal table salt, then half with Cornish Sea Salt – the reaction from that simple test speaks for itself!
I am a self-confessed salt geek and I find the nerdy side fascinating understanding the technical side and finer details. We work closely with Plymouth University on our development – give me a day in the lab with a microscope and I’m happy.
Favourite Food:
I like things that surprise me and make my mouth tingle. I enjoy food that has been cooked well with an eye for detail. The quality, taste and simplicity is the most important part of cooking for me – where you can really taste the difference.
Favourite place:
I enjoy being in quiet and remote places, that’s why I love Cornish beaches in the winter where you can hear crashing rolling waves with no one there. I live on the Helford River, so being able to see the Lizard out of the window is fantastic.
Why I like V&M:
During lockdown, we used the delivery service at home to get good quality local products delivered directly to home. We have three growing teenage boys, so you can imagine the food we went through. They have a great range of brands and products including things I had never tried before – so that was a great eyeopener. The special offers and deals were different to main stream supermarkets and we enjoyed supporting local companies during a difficult time.
Which Cornish Sea Salt product best represents me and why?
It’s got to be our Smoked Flakes. As a family we enjoy outdoor cooking, and nothing beats a good bacon sandwich on the beach with a sprinkling of the smoked salt. It gives the perfect hint of smokiness without being overpowering.
What makes Cornish Sea Salt unique?
Our technology and process to get our unique minerals onto each flake has taken years of expertise and development. Our salt has been developed by science working with our highest quality grade A waters right here in Cornwall to give it its unique flavour.
What’s the strangest customer request you’ve had?
The one that stands out to me was an American customer who once asked for a written sheet on how to open our tub!
How do you balance work & family life?
As the company is developing, that balance is getting better! My children play a lot of sport and we do a lot of travelling for that, so we try and do as much cooking outside as a family as we can. For me, cooking and eating is when I’m most relaxed.
Covid 19 specific question – what’s the most positive thing you will take away from this time?
Being at home more has been great for our family lifestyle as we have been enjoying more time spent together. From a business perspective, the ability to understand and be empathetic towards how people work differently and have different levels of concern has been really positive.