Author T L Mogford has drawn on the little-known history of Saffron Walden, once the hub of the world's saffron trade, for his new historical thriller The Saffron Thief. The novel is set in 1666, a year when the spice was at its most expensive, selling for £4, 1d per lb.
Mogford's interest in saffron began in 1999, when he was 21 and working as a sous-chef in Venice. There, he learned to make risotto alla milanese and was warned by the head chef that saffron is worth its weight in gold. Years later, an old university friend, known as 'Dangerous Dave', moved to Saffron Walden and corrected Mogford's assumption that it was a new town, revealing its ancient saffron industry.
A Medieval Industry in North Essex
Research showed that England was once the world's preeminent producer of saffron, with vast quantities grown and some exported to the Netherlands. The industry's hub was Saffron Walden, and in 1514 Henry VIII signed a charter changing the town's name from Chipping Walden to Saffron Walden.
According to local legend, the industry began in 1339 when a pilgrim returned from Jerusalem with a single saffron crocus bulb hidden in his staff. The plant thrived due to the chalk content of the local soil, and cultivators, known as 'crokers', grew rich, especially when saffron became prized as a cure for plague during the Black Death.
From Research to Novel
Mogford visited the town's museum and library, where he found a list of saffron prices and decided to set his heist story in 1666, the year of the Great Fire of London. He also bought saffron corms to plant at home, but accidentally overwatered them, overlooking the plant's need for dry, free-draining soil.
The English saffron industry had disappeared by 1720. Some historians blame cheaper foreign imports, others a disease called 'The Rot'. Mogford's novel offers a more colourful reason: a massive heist in 1666 that damaged the industry irreparably.
The Saffron Thief by T L Mogford (HarperCollins, £18.99) is out now. Mogford appears at the Words in Walden Festival 2026 on October 13 at 6.30pm.
