Visitors to the gorgeous Baie de Somme, on the Picardy coast in Northern France, have a foodie treat in store – a rare spice, saffron, thought have its origins in Crete, is grown just near one of the world's most beautiful bays and widely used by local chefs.

Follow the signs for Safran de la Baie de Somme in Ponthoile to meet innovative producer Anne Poupart, active in the region’s ‘zero carbon’ association of restaurants and producers. Here, on her family’s vegetable farm, Anne decided to become one of Europe’s very few cultivators of a spice today most readily associated with Iran. And local chefs needed no prompting in putting her high-quality product to excellent use in their dishes.