You wouldn't want to drink it. Yet despite smelling more like a Scottish beach than a gourmet treat, seawater is set to become the latest must-have ingredient in kitchens across the country.
Acquamara, made from purified seawater from the Outer Hebrides, will be sold in three- litre containers priced at £4.95 and claims to enhance the flavour of foodstuffs from shellfish to soups. It is believed to be the first bottled seawater in the world that has been aimed at the culinary market.
Its creator, Andy Inglis, a former UN official who now lives in Dunbar, East Lothian, will officially launch the product today at the Taste of Edinburgh Festival. He admits some diners may baulk at paying almost a fiver for something that can be found naturally.
"I think it's going to be seen as a bit cheeky, but if I can be a bit cheeky and create jobs in the Hebrides than I'm happy being a bit cheeky." he said.
Acquamara comes from the waters around the tiny Hebridean island of Berneray, where it is extracted from the sea and passed through a filter which cleans it of dirt, sand and rust, and any other containing particles. It is then tanked to a bottling facility near Dunbar. Certified as safe drinking water under EC drinking water standards, it will be sold in containers similar to wine boxes.
