The saffron plant, Latin name Crocus Sativus, is native to the Mediterranean, Asia Minor and Iran where it is cultivated on the rich plains. From the magical Persian fields comes the world’s best. The Spanish and other varieties are also available.

The Saffron plant is of singular beauty, with a short lived regal flower, a purple corolla providing a glorious backdrop to three, dark red stigmas in the centre.

The heady smell of a saffron field in bloom in late spring, once experienced, is impossible to forget. Fortunately, well-prepared saffron offers much of that pleasure.

Three saffron stigmas from each flower are gently hand picked at dawn and dried on the same day. It takes 500,000 flowers to produce one kilogram!

Uniquely, Iranian saffron is a rich, dark autumnal red in colour and has a distinctive aromatic bouquet, enticing the senses when added to special dishes.