The Saffron Experiment · Gut Health
WOMEN'S HEALTH / MIDLIFE
The Question.
Can a film really change the way we talk about menopause?
I thought I knew plenty about menopause before watching a new film ahead of its UK cinema release. What surprised me wasn't the information. It was hearing women talk so openly about brain fog, anxiety, sleep, work and the things we still don't say out loud.
EVERYDAY EDITORIAL / WHAT WE’RE NOTICING
The Edit.
Useful discoveries and opinions on everyday life, with plenty to question along the way.
MIDLIFE / MONEY & FAMILY
We're saving for retirement, but what if we never get to enjoy it?
With a mortgage, school fees and a ten-year-old to raise, I'm wondering how much of today we should give up to pay for tomorrow.
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BEAUTY & AGEING
My 50th birthday Botox disaster
I wanted a subtle change for my 50th birthday year and got a lesson in how far expectations can be from the result.
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WELLBEING / PERSIAN LIFE
Can saffron tea help your mood?
I started drinking saffron tea as a daily habit, then began to wonder whether the saffron helped my mood or I just needed ten minutes away from my desk.
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FITNESS & REAL LIFE
Why am I thinking of giving up the gym?
Exercise was only part of the reason I went to the gym. The routine and sense of community made the thought of leaving more complicated.
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PREGNANCY & BIRTH
Giving birth at 40, with a few changes to the plan
I'd watched every episode of One Born Every Minute and planned to use a birthing pool. My son's arrival involved forceps, and somehow a Persian clay cooking pot came into it too.
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FOOD / FAMILY / NEWCASTLE
Persian Delight in Newcastle: a taste of family life
Saffron chicken and cardamom tea brought a familiar taste of Persian family life to our meal in Newcastle.
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PERSIAN MEETS BRITISH / FAMILY LIFE
East Meets West.
Persian meets British in our family, with plenty of affection and some things to disagree about. Cultural misunderstandings and the things that get lost in translation, told from inside the family.
EAST MEETS WEST / PERSIAN FOOD
From chippy chips to Persian kotlet
I grew up in Newcastle loving chippy chips and Grandma's crispy fritters. Then I met H's Persian family, whose kotlet-making aunties ran a kitchen production line that could give Nissan a run for its money.
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EAST MEETS WEST / HALLOWEEN
The Halloween a Persian fruit bowl caused a fright
A Persian fruit bowl meets British trick-or-treating, with a different idea of what counts as a Halloween treat.
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PERSIAN NEW YEAR / FAMILY LIFE
Two Nowruz goldfish and Dad’s tablespoon
We bought two goldfish for Persian New Year. Seven years later, Dad's tablespoon caused a family drama.
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EAST MEETS WEST / PERSIAN FOOD
Fesenjan and my lifelong suspicion of gravy
I'd never liked gravy on my Sunday dinner, so a dark Persian stew had some work to do to win me over.
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OBSERVATIONS / REAL LIFE
Life, actually.
The stuff nobody puts in the brochure. Family life and getting older, with honest observations about the moments that make us laugh or test our patience.
MIDLIFE & REINVENTION
At 50, I finally understand Labyrinth
I thought Labyrinth was about finding Prince Charming. Watching it at 50, I'm more interested in Sarah finding her own way and recognising the power she already has.
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MARRIAGE
I married my Persian prince. Then came married life.
I had the castle and Sarah's hair from Labyrinth. Fifteen years later, I see that wedding day through the experience of the marriage that followed.
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THE BODY
My body, my BMI and the numbers that follow me
We spend so much time measuring our bodies that it's easy to overlook what they can do. I'm questioning how much those numbers tell me about mine.
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PARENTING & MODERN LIFE
A school ski trip and the guilt of saying no
An expensive school trip leaves me questioning why saying no can feel like letting my child down, even when the family budget has its limits.
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VOICES / INTERVIEWS
The Conversation.
Interviews and conversations with women doing interesting
things, thinking differently, challenging assumptions or
just having something worth saying.
MATERNITY CARE / WOMEN'S HEALTH
“I wouldn’t trust me to look after a cactus”
The hidden pressure on midwives
We hear plenty about women’s experiences of maternity care. Less often do we hear from the people providing it. One midwife describes the staffing pressures, exhaustion and emotional strain behind the delivery-room door.
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Have a story to share?
If you’re doing something interesting, thinking
differently, challenging assumptions or just have
something worth saying, I’d love to hear from you.
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THE SAFFRON EXPERIMENT
I wondered what
would happen if…
so I tried it.
Products, health claims, trends and ideas. I try them, look at the evidence and work out what’s useful, what isn’t and what probably wasn’t worth the bother.
EXPLORE THE EXPERIMENT →
BEHIND THE WORDS
Meet Saffron.
Saffron is a former newspaper journalist and PR professional writing about midlife, women’s health, fitness and the things she tests for herself through The Saffron Experiment.
MORE ABOUT ME →TRIED · TESTED · REAL LIFE
The Saffron Experiment.
From Persian beauty rituals to fitness and wellbeing trends, I put ideas to the test and report what actually happens. Some earn a place in everyday life. Others turn out to be more trouble than they're worth.
Wellbeing experiments
The cayenne pepper, Celtic salt and lemon water experiment
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Persian beauty
I tried an ancient Persian beauty ritual and then accidentally exfoliated my face with washing powder
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Fitness & midlife
I tried proper boxing at 46. It wasn’t quite Million Dollar Baby
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Beauty meets fitness
Can got2b Glued survive a Body Combat workout?
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Product review
I put magnesium salts in my bath for six weeks. I wasn’t expecting this to be the result
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Menopause & fitness
Can five-minute menopause workouts make a difference?
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TRAVEL & PLACES
Places we’ve been.
Family escapes, hotels and the places that leave us with something worth talking about when we get home.
CRETE, GREECE
Celebrating 50 in Crete
Nine days at the Mitsis Royal Mare, with family beach days, moussaka, cats and a little midlife indulgence.
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STRATHYRE, SCOTLAND
A family escape to the woods
A log cabin, Loch Lubnaig, canoeing, cycling, Persian barbecue and an unreasonable number of wasps.
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RHODES, GREECE
Atrium Prestige, Rhodes
A family stay in Rhodes, looking beyond the glossy photographs to see what a hotel actually feels like with a child.
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FOR TRAVEL PRs & TOURISM TEAMS
Planning your next travel campaign?
I’m interested in thoughtful family travel, hotels, destinations and experiences that give readers something worth talking about.
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HOTELS / FOOD / FAMILY DAYS OUT / PRODUCTS
The Review.
From boutique hotels and family restaurants to toys and days out, we try them, test them and tell you what we think. No fuss, just our experiences.
HOTEL REVIEW / YORKSHIRE
The Burgoyne: can luxury and a toddler really go together?
A boutique hotel, gourmet dining and a small child with his own ideas about fine food.
Press collaboration
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RESTAURANT REVIEW / NEWCASTLE
Sachins Newcastle: dinner with a very small food critic
Punjabi cooking, a welcoming restaurant and the challenge of eating out with a toddler.
Gifted meal
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FAMILY DAYS OUT / LEGOLAND WINDSOR
We took our LEGO-obsessed Cyrus to Legoland Windsor, and here’s what we really thought
A weekend in Windsor, a colourful world of LEGO and one very excited young master builder. Here's how our family adventure went.
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TOY REVIEW / FAMILY FUN
ZipString review: the flying string that surprised the whole family
A flying string that seems to defy gravity. We put ZipString to the family test to see whether the novelty would last.
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TOY REVIEW / EARLY YEARS
Bunny Hutch Playset review, a toddler-friendly toy that teaches gentle care
A little rabbit home designed for imaginative play, with opportunities for young children to explore kindness and caring for animals.
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FAMILY EXPERIENCE / GOSFORTH
Canny Crafty: paint, pottery and a very messy afternoon
We took our little artist pottery painting in Gosforth. The results weren't entirely predictable.
Gifted experience
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RESTAURANT REVIEW / SOUTH SHIELDS
Zeera: can you enjoy a curry with a toddler in tow?
An Indian restaurant, plenty of poppadoms and one young diner with a healthy appetite.
Gifted review
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RESTAURANT REVIEW / NEWCASTLE
Persian Delight: a taste of Persia in Newcastle
We explore Persian food and family dining closer to home.
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Saffron & Cyrus – The Fortnightly Edit.
From Persian New Year goldfish that cost us £200 to David Bowie’s Labyrinth and a seven-day experiment with a Japanese reed diffuser, the first issue of The Fortnightly Edit brings together British-Persian family life, midlife reflections and a little brain fog, all with a healthy dose of humour.