Food & wellbeing
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.
HANDPICKED / WORTH YOUR TIME
The Edit.
A handpicked mix of stories, questions and discoveries worth your time right now.
MIDLIFE / MONEY & FAMILY
We're saving for retirement, but what if we never live to enjoy it?
At nearly 51, with a mortgage, school fees and a ten-year-old to raise, I'm wondering how we're supposed to save for the future without missing out on the present.
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BEAUTY & AGEING
My 50th birthday Botox disaster and how to avoid the same mistake
I wanted a subtle refresh for my 50th birthday year. What followed was a rather less subtle lesson in Botox, expectations and knowing exactly what you are signing up for.
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WELLBEING / PERSIAN LIFE
Can a few strands of saffron in tea really make a difference to your mood?
I started drinking saffron tea as a small daily ritual. But was the saffron actually doing anything, or was simply stopping for ten minutes the part that mattered?
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FITNESS & REAL LIFE
Should I give up the gym?
The gym became part exercise, part routine and part community. So why did I suddenly find myself wondering whether it was time to walk away?
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PREGNANCY & BIRTH
Giving birth at 40: my induction and forceps birth story
I had the birth plan, the birthing pool and every episode of One Born Every Minute behind me. Then came the induction, epidural, forceps and a Persian clay cooking pot.
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FOOD / FAMILY / NEWCASTLE
Craving proper Persian food in Newcastle? This place deserves a visit
Saffron chicken, warm bread, kebabs and cardamom tea. We went looking for a taste of Persian family life in Newcastle and found something unexpectedly familiar.
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OBSERVATIONS / REAL LIFE
Life, actually.
Health headlines worth questioning, numbers that don’t tell the whole story, and the things that look rather different from this side of 50, from childhood stories to the family moments modern life has a habit of squeezing out.
MIDLIFE & REINVENTION
At 50, I finally understand the film ‘Labyrinth’
I thought it was about finding Prince Charming. At 50, I see a story about getting lost, finding yourself and realising you had more power than you thought.
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MARRIAGE
I married my Persian prince in a castle, but it took me 15 years to understand the fairytale
I wanted a Persian prince, a castle and Sarah’s hair from Labyrinth. Years later, I realise the fairytale wasn’t finding the prince. It was everything that came after the castle.
THE BODY
Biological age in midlife: why your BMI doesn’t tell the whole story
We measure our bodies constantly. The more useful question may be what they can actually do.
PARENTING & MODERN LIFE
When does saying no start to feel like parental failure?
A school ski trip, an expensive decision and the uncomfortable question of what giving our children “more” actually means.
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
Why Persian sefidab deserves a place in your beauty routine
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Fitness & midlife
Boxing at 46: How training changed me
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Beauty meets fitness
Can got2b Glued survive a Body Combat workout?
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Product review
Westlab magnesium bath salts: My review
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Menopause & fitness
Can five-minute menopause workouts make a difference?
Read the story →7 STORIES · AUTOMATICALLY SCROLLING
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.
WORK WITH ME →
Why Mast-o-Laboo is the midlife superfood you’ve been overlooking
FOOD · CULTURE · MIDLIFE Mast-o-Laboo: the Persian beetroot and yoghurt dip I discovered while pregnant in Iran. I was 12 weeks pregnant with Cyrus in Iran, suffering from severe…