A lovely walk around Maida Vale revealed a strong & growing Iranian community not to be confused with the larger Arab community further south along Edgware Road. Iranians are not Arabs, they will tell you firmly.
Saffron is a brand new patisserie that opened in February 2015 to supply the best sweets, nuts and cakes from Iran. It's a great time to open as Iranian new year (Nowruz) is very soon and people are stocking up for traditional all night feasting.
A few doors down is Milad, a grocery store stacked high with dates, halwa, herbs and spices - mostly all imported from Iran and other middle eastern countries. I loved the look of the rose petals below but I'm not sure how to cook with them.
The community seems to have sprung up around the mosque and community centre opposite which is grandly named the Islamic Centre of England (or ICEL). It's a large and friendly mosque - open to all - housed in a large Grade II Listed former bingo hall/cinema (see below).
