The spirit of Chaharshanbe Suri
If you’re imagining a quiet evening at home, think again. As the Persian New Year edged into our lockdown lives, we went full-on for Chaharshanbe Suri. For those who don’t…
EDITOR'S PICK / IN DEPTH
The Big Read.
What makes me want to keep exercising?
A personal take on fitness, confidence, ageing and why I keep showing up at the gym, even when my brain is saying no.
EXPLORE SAFFRON & CYRUS
The Edit.
Stories, questions and things currently occupying my slightly overactive brain.
Midlife & Reinvention
Confidence, identity, ambition, relationships, change and reinvention, without treating age as a problem that needs fixing.
My 50th birthday year Botox disaster and how to avoid the same mistake →
Women’s Health & Wellbeing
Changing bodies, energy, health and the questions women are often left to work out for themselves.
Giving birth at 40: my induction and forceps birth story →
Family & Motherhood
Pregnancy, parenting, family life and the cultural differences that can make motherhood complicated, funny and occasionally bewildering.
My BMI Said Obese. My Persian Family Thought I Looked Healthy →
Fitness & Strength
Movement, strength, gym life and what happens when staying active becomes as much about belonging as exercise.
Gym motivation in midlife: Should I give up the gym? →
Culture & Identity
British and Persian influences, family traditions, food, identity and belonging.
How we brought Shab-e Yalda from Iran to Newcastle →
Lifestyle & Experiences
Travel, places and experiences that genuinely add something to everyday life.
When did knowing everything become part of being a good parent? →
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.
READ THE STORY →
WOMEN’S HEALTH & WELLBEING
HRT and dementia risk: what a new UK study means for women in midlife
A promising headline, a large UK study and one rather important question: what does the research actually prove?
FITNESS & STRENGTH
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.
FAMILY & MOTHERHOOD
No time for the bedtime story? How modern life is stealing our family moments
What happens when ordinary family moments are the first things squeezed out?
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.
READ THE STORY →
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.
WORK WITH ME →
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 →
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.
READ THE STORY →
STRATHYRE, SCOTLAND
A family escape to the woods
A log cabin, Loch Lubnaig, canoeing, cycling, Persian barbecue and an unreasonable number of wasps.
READ THE STORY →
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.
READ THE REVIEW →
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 →