I’ve just returned from London, where I did a cooking demo at Divertimenti cookery school with my favourite saffron brand, Attar Apothecary. It was a sold-out evening, but the story really began a year earlier, in an urban garden.

A year prior, I was in London leading a workshop on decolonizing spices which allowed me to connect with Laila, the woman behind Attar Apothecary. We struck up a friendship by chance—or perhaps by food, which has a way of introducing people who were meant to meet. A year later, we decided to see whether we could fill a class devoted entirely to saffron. We did and we called it “Secrets of Saffron”!

Saffron is one of those spices everyone has heard of, yet I’m still asked what it tastes like and what on earth to do with it. So we brought six recipes to the table and gave everyone plenty of ways to find out. Laila made timeless Iranian saffron rice, her signature saffron lemonade, and a lush saffron yoghurt dessert that carried the spice’s flavour beautifully.

I brought three vegan dishes I’d dreamt up both awake and asleep. With Laila’s rice on the menu, I wanted food that was cozy and saucy, with a little elegance too. First came courgettes—or if you’d rather say zucchini, you may —in a tomato, saffron, and walnut sauce. At home, I serve it over rice with a final sprinkle of black lime.

Then came what may have been the surprise hit of the night: cauliflower in cardamom-and-saffron-infused coconut milk, finished with pistachios, nigella seeds, and loads of fresh cilantro. I make this at home every now and then, sometimes swapping sliced almonds for the pistachios. Either way, it’s comfort food meets dreamy chic. If I ever open a restaurant again, it’s going on the menu. In fact, I’ve already served it during a guest-chef session at a restaurant in Le Marais. The secret is to roast the cauliflower first- because if you cook it into the sauce, you will end up with a strange smelling sauce…that no one will want to eat!

My last dish was a quick lemon-saffron tahini sauce, one I love making for private-chef gigs. It works with almost any raw salad, though I especially love it with crunchy baby gem lettuce and fresh dill.

The real highlight, though, was getting to see and talk about different varieties and grades of saffron. I brought some my dad had carried back from Iran twenty years ago, still perfectly usable. Laila showed us what she said is called a “bunch” in Iran: a small bundle made from the whole saffron threads. I’d never come across anything like it here in France. What a sight to behold.

London had more treats in store. I attended the first in a series of launches for the much-awaited EGYPT, by Suzanne Zeidy and Rawa Badrawi. It felt about time for a beautifully presented book that explores the richness and diversity of Egyptian cuisine. Everyone knows the pyramids; far fewer people know the food.

I also wandered through some wonderful Turkish spice stores. Nothing gets in between me and spice stores- forever my happy spaces. One morning however, there was a fox inside one of them. It had apparently been strolling in and out of the shops along the street. I see cats in spice stores in Paris all the time…before, but a fox? London, you keep surprising me.

And, of course, I made it to Borough Market. I cant figure out if it’s a tourist thing, or a local hang out. I feel it’s a mix of both- and every visit feels like a glorious carb-and-sugar parade: wild doughnuts, baked desserts, breads, and food stalls everywhere you turn. At Juma Kitchen, run by Iraqi-British-Irish chef Philip Juma, this vegan gyal (aka: me) could have gone for the fattoush. Instead, I chose the vegan Iraqi kubba option: a classic potato crust filled with wild mushrooms and just a whiff of truffle oil, served with date sauce. Decadent, lip-smacking, and warm as a hug.

Now I’m back in Paris and knee-deep in zaatar. From saffron to zaatar, I have quite a few projects lined up, and I’ll share more soon. Most of all, I’m happy and proud to keep celebrating ingredients from countries and parts of the world that don’t always get the attention—or the respect—they deserve. It’s time to change that, one delicious conversation at a time.

Stay food curious, until next time!