EAT THE SEASONS

Saffron

As crocus sativus flowers break the earth in early October, the UK saffron harvest begins – a painstaking process of collecting and separating the orange-red stigmas from the buds by hand. Grown in England since Tudor times, this prized spice fell out of favour in the 18th century. However, today, farms in Norfolk and Essex once again offer the precious strands for flavouring everything from Cornish saffron cake to soups and root vegetables with their earthy tones – dry fry before soaking to intensify the flavour. Try award-winning smoked saffron from norfolksaffron.co.uk.