What do Cameron Diaz, Gwyneth Paltrow, Nigella Lawson and Delia Smith all have in common? They have all sung the praises of Maldon's most famous export, Maldon Sea Salt. Indeed, for those contemplating a bit of early Christmas shopping, it might be worth knowing that Cameron Diaz claims that her best ever Christmas present was 'a big bucket of Maldon salt'.

Though Maldon salt has had a relatively recent revival in popularity, its origins predate modern celebrity culture by thousands of years. Some claim that 'Blackwater' is derived from 'Brackwater' – i.e. a river with brackish, stagnant waters, and certainly a 'blackwater' river is defined as a river flowing through marshes, which at coastal areas will result in salt deposition.

Salt crystallises naturally over seagrass as tides retreat, and prehistoric people harvested it to season and preserve their food. By the Iron Age they were using heated clay vessels to speed up the process. The Romans upscaled this to large clay-lined pits, boiling it off in lead pans.

The burning activities associated with this created the distinctive 'red hills', 330 of which have been discovered so far, many on the north bank of the Blackwater. The Domesday Book in 1086 identifies salt pans running all the way from Tollesbury to Heybridge and Maldon. Although these have been greatly eroded by ploughing, an example which has been excavated at Peldon measured 0.2 acres and 1.3 metres high, giving a volume of 1500 tons. The mounds consist of broken fragments of fired clay, ash, charcoal and unfired clay.

Salt was a prized commodity, and subject to tax from ancient times. The tax was abandoned in 1825 however, and it became economical to mine for it in caves elsewhere in the country. Mass production put the small local salt producers out of business, even though experts preferred the flavour of sea salt.

For at least one local saltmaker, Bridges, Johnson & Co, salt became a sideline, their main occupation being coal merchants. In 1882 they called that side of their business the Maldon Crystal Salt Company. Londoners would make the trip to Maldon to pick some up, and it became known in Harrods, which sent a warm letter of endorsement in 1900.

The company was bought by James Rivers in 1922. He married a widow called Nellie Osborne, who had three sons. The youngest son (Cyril Osborne) was given the salt business, and his descendants run it to this day. Cyril's grandson Steve is the current Managing Director.

Endorsements by famous chefs (including Delia Smith) in the late 1990s were a key part in the expansion of the business, which up to that point had remained fairly small-scale. The original salt pans in The Downs are still there, but a second centre has opened at Longwick Farm near Goldhanger, as well as administrative offices at Wycke Hill.

Production now totals 2,755 tons a year – ten million boxes. 60% goes for export.

The full story of salt extraction in and around Maldon is too long and complex to be told in this space, but the excellent Goldhanger Past website has a lot of information here.