Gut health / Kombucha
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.
Meet the women with a story to tell, in their own words. We talk about the experiences behind their work and the ideas they’re putting into practice.
NATALIE HULL / SOCKATOOS
The mum who made trousers with socks attached
After another struggle to keep her youngest son’s socks on, Natalie Hull went looking for trousers with the socks built in. When she couldn’t find what she wanted, she spent years developing her own design. She explains how a familiar parenting frustration became Sockatoos.
READ THE STORY →Have a story to share? If your work or experience has given you a different view of the world, I’d like to hear about it.
WORK WITH ME →
THE SAFFRON EXPERIMENT
I wondered what would happen if… so I tried it.
When a product or health claim catches my attention, I want to know whether it holds up in everyday life. I try it for myself, check the evidence and explain whether it’s worth the time and money.
EXPLORE THE EXPERIMENT →
BEHIND THE WORDS
Meet Saffron.
I’m Saffron, a former newspaper journalist, PR professional and qualified gym instructor with an Active IQ Level 2 qualification. I became a mum at 40 and write about life in our British-Persian family, women’s health and the ideas I test for myself.
MORE ABOUT ME →TRIED · TESTED · REAL LIFE
The Saffron Experiment.
A Persian beauty ritual, a boxing session or a new addition to my bathroom shelf: each experiment starts with something I want to find out. These are my accounts of trying them, with the evidence alongside my experience so you can make up your own mind.
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 tried magnesium bath salts for six weeks
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Menopause & fitness
Can five-minute menopause workouts make a difference?
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TRAVEL & PLACES
Travel & Places.
Travelling with a child gives you a different view of a place. These are our family trips, with the details I’d want to know before booking and the experiences we still talk about afterwards.
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
Our family stay at the Atrium Prestige, and how the hotel works when you have a child with their own ideas about the holiday.
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FOR TRAVEL PRs & TOURISM TEAMS
Planning your next travel campaign?
I work with travel teams on stories grounded in our family’s experience. If you have a destination or stay that fits Saffron & Cyrus, tell me what you have in mind.
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HOTELS / FOOD / FAMILY DAYS OUT / PRODUCTS
The Review.
Would I book it again, take Cyrus back or spend my own money on it? Our reviews draw on family stays and days out, meals we’ve shared and products we’ve used, with the details that help you decide whether they’re right for you.
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
Legoland Windsor with our LEGO-obsessed Cyrus
Cyrus had high hopes for a weekend surrounded by LEGO. We went along to see how the family visit lived up to his expectations.
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TOY REVIEW / FAMILY FUN
ZipString review: the flying string that surprised the whole family
We put ZipString’s flying loop of string to the family test to see whether the novelty would last.
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TOY REVIEW / EARLY YEARS
Bunny Hutch Playset: a little home for pretend pets
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.