S is for SAFFRON

Mum and Dad were brought up on plain cooking. Dinner on any day of the week never veered too far from the straight and narrow, with potatoes being the main performer, usually, but not always accompanied by some form of meat and a vegetable. Dad loved his potatoes but needed them always to be 'balls of flour' and not 'bars of soap'. Indeed a poor potato could completely ruin his enjoyment of dinner and he would sit there and pick through any other offerings on the plate before pushing it all to one side, showing his disgust without a word but his frown said everything. Mum was less fussy and it didn't help that she felt one potato tasted much like another. Some days potatoes were the only dish served up and along with some scallions, salt and butter mashed together as champ or at other times with small slices of raw onion, it tasted as good as anything served in the finest restaurants. Only on Sunday did the spuds get to take off their jackets as the rigours of a busy Sunday morning involvement in church meant that dinner required cooking beforehand so that dad could cope with sitting down to lunch only an hour and a half later than normal. On the rare occasion mum would cook chips but this became a more regular, once-a-week event as they got older and something they looked forward to with relish. Apart from the odd dollop of Colman's mustard with his beef or HP sauce with his bacon, dad wasn't a sauce person and needed no other additive to make his meals tasty and enjoyable. Mum knew this well so there was no need to dress up the food and give it a fancy name for there was always safety in routine and the familiar. The closest she ever got to using any form of spice was a little clove in an apple tart or a stock cube in a pot of soup, but everything always tasted wonderful just as it was intended. On a few rare occasions, mum could be persuaded to sample the odd Chinese delicacy that we brought home but Indian was a bridge too far and any other national dish was out of the question. Beyond home cooking, Dad's taste buds only ever stretched as far as the local chip shop.

I remember visiting a restaurant in Bournemouth and the waiter gave us a little jar of Coriander seed as we left. However the jar gathered dust for the next twenty years until we saw the light. But I think it was probably curiosity as to how other nationalities added flavour to their dishes that made us begin to experiment with spices, either that or the spice rack that a good friend had given to us as a wedding present. It began as a dash of mixed spices in the chicken stuffing but gradually we began to discover the delights of fresh garlic, basil and ginger though getting the concentration correct in any dish often requires a bit of experimentation and a few disasters along the way. Now the kitchen cupboard houses a wealth of flavourings including paprika, cumin, coriander, lemon grass, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (and I'm not even a great Simon and Garfunkel fan!). The latest additions have been some cardamon pods and pilau rice flavouring and, of course, saffron.

I was amazed at how only a little of it absorbed by a large pan of rice can create the most beautiful rich yellow grains that one usually associates with paella. I was even more amazed how only a little of it can cost so much, so there's a great need to use it sparingly. But I was equally amazed to discover that this extract from the crocus, which looks like long orange threads, appears to have medicinal and healing qualities.It made me consider that when I think I am only one voice and can't make a difference, that God certainly doesn't think so. Bible history is littered with the one voices who added something special to the lives of those around them. I think of Moses, Joseph, Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Jonah, Paul, Peter and John the Baptist who not only enriched the lives of the people of their time but continue to do so through the writings that have preserved their existence for us to absorb. It encourages me to think that they weren't special people but God made their lives special in the way He chose to use them. It doesn't take much to make an impact but saffron only has value when it is used and where it is added as intended. Are we ready to be used? I think it's time to take the plunge and make a difference forour Lord. It mightn't always be easy but it will be colourful.