Ingredient

Daisy Flowers

Bellis perennis

Bellis perennis, also known as common or dawn daisy, has a long history of medicinal use. You can eat the fresh flower heads in salads, but they are more commonly used in herbal decoctions and ointments to help heal wounds and soothe the skin.

The common daisy is native to Europe. The flower heads, surrounded by white or pink-tipped petals open at dawn; they close at dusk and in dull weather, giving rise to the name ‘day’s eye.’

Steeped in folklore, daisies have been used in many spells and have come to represent springtime, childhood and innocence. In old superstitions, a daisy chain around the neck was supposed to protect a child from being stolen by faeries.

Mabinogion, the book of stories based on Welsh mythology and folk tales, mentions a bathing ritual using wildflowers. The water should have elder leaves or cowslip flowers, and a few scabious blossoms mixed in, but the latter turned out to be impossible to source, so we figured daisies would be the next best choice.