Winter is not an easy time for gardens, as the drop in temperature and presence of chilly winds and ice begin to take their toll on your once spectacular garden. At Granny Mouse Country House & Spa, this certainly rings true as their magnificent gardens feel the pinch of the chilly KwaZulu Natal Midlands winters.

According to head gardener, Mark Robson, winter is a tough time for all gardeners as you watch months of hard work dissolve as plants wither from the cold, however there are some plants that can brighten up your otherwise lifeless garden over the winter period, and it’s not what you’d think.

“When thinking of what to plant, many people don’t think of vegetables, and there are a range of vegetables that one can plant in winter, that will not only survive the winter chill, but can be bought in from the garden to the dining room table. Certain vegetables are ideal to add to your winter garden, which will warm up your garden and chase away the winter blues,” Robson says.

He suggests planting leafy greens and legumes such as cabbages, broccoli, beans and peas. To add some colour, include carrots, turnips or radishes, all of which are hardy enough to last the winter months, and all of which are vegetables that are perfect ingredients for that warm winter stew.

“One must just make sure that the vegetables are planted in a sunny area, as winter days are shorter, and so shade will creep over them quicker. If they have enough daily sunlight, the result will be a thriving winter vegetable garden in no time.” He adds.

Escape the winter gardening blues and plant your own winter vegetable garden today. For advice, contact Mark at Granny Mouse on 033 234 4071

For many who have attended a conference or two, the thought of a long period of sitting and being attentive to speakers, can be daunting.

When it comes to hosting a conference that extends for more than a few hours, guests can at times lose focus and become restless because they have not yet fuelled their minds with appropriate food that is needed to concentrate.

This is the reason why Granny Mouse Country House & Spa have created a menu that allows for “brain food” to be incorporated, allowing a more successful transfer of information between speakers and conference goers.

Four foods that are known to help with mental focus include, leafy green vegetables, coffee, whole grain foods and nuts.

Both the Granny Mouse Executive Chef, Shaun Dampies as well as the General Manager, Sean Granger recently collaborated to work out special conference menus with some of the items incorporating these four brain foods to assist in sharpening mental focus.

“It is a fact that the types of food we eat affect how we think, focus and act, so we decided to change up our conference meals to incorporate some “brain food” that will help our guests attending conferences at our property, think and focus better,” Granger says.

The Standard 24 Hour 4 Conference is one such package that has meals that incorporate brain foods. “We start the day off with a Full English Breakfast and Full Continental Buffet Breakfast, incorporating seeds and nuts, whole grain cereal and breads as well as coffee, because we believe that one’s mind needs to be fed before it can be used to its full potential,” he adds.

To find out more about our conferencing packages visit www.grannymouse.co.za or contact 033 234 4071.