Commercial cultivation of saffron has recommenced in England, marking a return for a spice historically grown in the country. David Smale, a geophysicist, is among the current growers cultivating English saffron commercially.
The saffron crocus, native to Crete, Iran, and south-west Asia, has been cultivated for centuries for various uses, including medicinal properties, cosmetics, perfume, food, and dye. In England, saffron cultivation spread to areas like Essex by the 13th century, with Chipping Walden being renamed Saffron Walden by the early 1500s due to its saffron production.
The process of obtaining saffron involves hand-picking the orange-red stigmas from the lilac-purple flowers when they are fully open. These stigmas are then dried quickly to prevent the loss of colour and flavour, a process that reduces their weight by about 80%. Tens of thousands of filaments are needed to produce half a kilogram of dried saffron threads.
While records from 1871 indicate thefts of saffron, commercial cultivation in Britain ceased a few decades later, though some individuals continued to grow it for personal use. Today, growers are re-establishing commercial production.