Halen Môn celebrates Susan Williams-Ellis with illustrated ceramic salt jars

Two great names of North Wales design have come together in a small ceramic jar. Halen Môn, the Anglesey Sea Salt Company, has launched a limited-edition refillable salt jar with the Susan Williams-Ellis Foundation, decorated with the artist's marine illustrations.

Each jar holds 15g of Halen Môn's hand-made pure sea salt and carries illustrations inspired by the marine life of rockpools and shallow seas around Britain, Anglesey among them.

Susan Williams-Ellis, who lived from 1918 to 2007, founded Portmeirion Pottery with her husband in 1960. Her 1972 Botanic Garden design remains the Portmeirion Group's best-selling pattern. The foundation, established in 2014, conserves her archive and keeps her work accessible to the public.

Rachel Hunt, collections curator at Plas Brondanw, the former Williams-Ellis family home where the foundation is based, said Susan would have been delighted to see her artwork on the salt pots, pointing to her passion for the sea and her innovative underwater sketching in the 1950s. Jess Lea-Wilson, brand director at Halen Môn, said the company was thrilled to create a product featuring some of the artist's more personal illustrations.

The collaboration was launched at a celebration at Plas Brondanw on 24 September, which also marked the publication of Halen Môn's new book, The Coastal Almanac. Written by Jess, it follows the seasons through coastal flora and fauna, recipes and writing. An exhibition of Susan Williams-Ellis's marine-themed work, Susan and the Sea, is planned at Plas Brondanw in 2028.

The jars are being sold through independent retailers, delis, farm shops and Halen Môn's online store, and each one can be refilled with the company's sea salt once the first 15g has been used.

Visitors to the company's home at Brynsiencyn can take a tour of the Salt Cote, enjoy a coffee, and even relax in a private outdoor seaweed bath overlooking the wild coastline of Ynys Môn across to Eryri, a 45-minute ritual using sustainably harvested organic seaweed.

The ceramic jars and The Coastal Almanac are available at halenmon.com.