Sainfoin

It is so interesting to learn where all these unusual names for flowers came from! This one – so French – sain means wholesome and foin means hay. And this describes it exactly – it is beautiful and nutritious too and is still grown for fodder. Where we found it was in a large sheep meadow just above Slindon.

But it doesn’t just slip down well with sheep  – it is a highly nutritious plant for insects and white sainfoin honey is said to possess superpowers! In the Cotwolds and South Downs it is now beginning to be feted and locally referred to as Holy Hay! See this article by Sally Morgan writing for the Soil Association.

Local names remindus of how stunning it is: Cock’s Comb and Cock’s Head