“The garden suggests there might be a place where we can meet nature halfway.” – Michael Pollan

Gardening Benefits

At Granny Mouse Country House & Spa, situated in a serene and picturesque location and in an enviably garden setting, it’s hard not to fall in love with every visit.

With more than 200 bird species, a range of local wildlife wondering the grounds and the willow-lined common located alongside the Lions River, relaxing with nature is easily achievable.

“We are incredibly proud of our green lush gardens and know they do wonders for ones well-being as well as provide lots of health benefits”, states General Manager, Sean Granger.

The first of these benefits being a healthy dose of vitamin D which increases your calcium levels, as well as aids your bones and immune system. We are much like plants, where our skin uses sunlight to make vitamin D, helping to strengthen bones and the immune system, and can also lower the risk of breast cancer, amongst others. But be sure to apply sunblock as getting sunburnt is not the goal here, just a little happy healthy sunshine.

Gardening also provides you with a work out, strengthening those muscles, burning kilojoules and just makes you feel physically good after some toiling. It can also prevent and control high blood pressure. A true point, gardening is definitely one of the healthiest hobbies you can develop.

These days we are hyper stressed and gardening is the answer in helping reduce stress, anxiety and even depression. Especially now all the negative news out there pertaining to illness, death, crime, and limited contact with family not living close by, it’s a big plus to see positive things, growth of plants and nature thriving. It also helps with building self-esteem and definitely makes you happy learning new tasks and focusing on a positive happy goal – and you get to be covered in dirt.

Another benefit from some good ol’ physical exercise is one sleeps so much better and, as one gets older, that’s a big plus.

Another interesting fact is that gardening can definitely help cognitive functioning of your brain and is a fantastic mood enhancer. It also helps with eco anxiety which provides you with a burdensome sense of guilt and being powerless to do anything about it. Gardening combats negative health effects, but remember, not to use power tools, do it naturally.

And if you grow some vegetables they will definitely help you eat healthier, eating fresh healthy produce, providing overall wellbeing.

So when next looking for inspiration on creating that beautiful garden, check into Granny Mouse Country House & Spa and be inspired.

For more information go to www.grannymouse.co.za

Inspired by:

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/a22109/health-benefits-gardening/

https://www.healthline.com/health/healthful-benefits-of-gardening

One of the great things about summer is the abundance of fresh fruit and veggies just begging to be eaten.

Summer salads don’t ever have to be boring, and we know that they have changed dramatically over the past few decades. There’s a lot more to salads than just the usual lettuce leaves, tomato, onion, cucumber and feta.

There are so many interesting, flavourful ingredients that are available to us to make for an extra nutritious, tasty meal, whether your salad is a side dish to accompany a braai, or with an oven cooked meat dish as a main meal in the upcoming hot months.

With the weather getting hotter, why stand in a sweltering kitchen in front of a hot stove, when a summer salad is always delicious and doesn’t require masses of skills or effort to create a masterpiece.

The team of culinary artists at Granny Mouse Country House & Spa constantly create extra tasty masterpieces, with healthy ingredients to super boost your salad idea.
Below are some ideas to make you a master chef in your kitchen and will certainly impress your guests and family alike.

Grilled Local Trout and Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

• 50g local trout fillet, skin off
• 50g avocado, cubed
• 30g cucumber, ribbons
• 30g julienne carrots
• 30g cabbage finely shredded (green leaves only)
• 1 radish, thinly sliced raw
• 2g black sesame seeds
• 2g white sesame seeds
• 30g quinoa cooked, preferably red quinoa
• 10ml rice wine vinegar
• 5ml soya sauce
• 10g baby spinach leaves or lettuce of your choice
• Sugar to taste

Method:

1. Season and fry trout on medium heat until cooked; set aside to cool.
2. Mix the soya sauce and rice wine vinegar together and add sugar to taste.
3. Pour over cabbage and allow to marinate for at least half an hour.
4. Mix in the cooked quinoa and combine with cabbage.
5. Place this at the bottom of the bowl and build the rest of the salad ingredients around or on top of it.
6. Garnish with the trout with toasted sesame seeds

Asian Styled Beef Miso Salad

Ingredients:

• 12g baby corn
• 40g beef fillet marinated in Teriyaki dressing (recipe attached), then pan seared
• 40g baby spinach
• 30g slow roasted tomato (roasted in an oven at 130°C until cooked)
• 30g Miso roasted aubergine – marinate in Miso dressing (recipe attached) and roast in the oven at 160°C for 15 minutes… turning half way through
• 20g Parmesan, Granda Padana freshly grated
• 12ml Thai dressing (recipe attached)
• Salt and lemon juice to taste

Method:

1. Make sure leaves of spinach are properly rinsed.
2. Cut baby corn into halves.
3. Add the slow roasted tomato with the Aubergine and toss with spinach leaves.
4. Lightly dress the salad with Thai dressing.
5. Season with salt and lemon juice to taste.
6. Finish with grated Granda Padana

Thai Dressing Recipe

Ingredients:

• 40ml Lemon Juice
• 60ml Soy Sauce
• 60ml Mirin
• 15g Lemon Grass
• 15g Garlic
• 36g Ginger
• 175ml Sesame Oil
• 50ml Peanut Oil
• 60g Granulated Sugar
• 12g Red Chilli
• 10g Salt
• 120ml Honey

Method:

1. Finely chop all solid ingredients.
2. Add liquid to all finely chopped ingredients.
3. Do not blend these ingredients, whisk only.
4. Mix well before placing in a squeeze bottle.
5. Dressing should be citrus, salty with a little sweet.

Miso Yaki

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup Sake
• 1/3 cup Mirin
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup White Miso

Method:

1. Add sake and mirin to pan and cook off alcohol.
2. Turn down heat and add miso and sugar.
3. Cook until it turns a pale caramel colour.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Teriyaki Sauce

Ingredients:

• 500ml Mirin
• 500ml Sake
• 250ml Light Soy Sauce
• 400ml Water
• 250g Sugar
• 100g Peeled Ginger Root
• 1 Sweet Potato
• 1 bunch Baby Leeks grilled almost burnt
• 1 tsp Cornflour

Method:

1. Boil slowly until light syrup.
2. Check saltiness and thicken very slightly with cornflour.
3. Should be oil consistency.

Miso dressing

Ingredients:

• 100g miso paste
• 150ml ponzu (which is a classic Japanese condiment, and is a citrus based sauce with tart tangy flavour similar to vinaigrette) can be found at the newly opened Chinese market in Broadway Durban North
• 300ml olive oil
• 100ml canola oil
• 20ml lemon juice

Method:

1. Blend adding the oil slowly

Whipped Brie with caramelized pear and apple salad with strawberry consommé

Ingredients:

• 125g brie cheese, rind cut off
• 125ml fresh cream
• ½ a pear, peeled and de-seeded
• 1 x apple, diced fresh
• 50g granulated white sugar
• 50g butter (must be butter)
• 1x punnet strawberries, sliced
• 40g castor sugar
• 20g rocket or hand torn butter lettuce

Method:

For the consommé

1. Place a pot on the stove filled half way with water and bring to a boil.
2. Place strawberry slices with castor sugar into a pan that will be large enough to fit comfortably onto the pot, wrap the entire pan in plastic wrap to form a tight seal.
3. Place on top of boiled pot and allow steaming until the colour has left the strawberries and a bright red liquid has formed.
4. Remove from heat and set aside and allow to cool.
5. Once cooled strain through a fine sieve and keep the liquid – do not squeeze the strawberries
6. The liquid should be clear and bright red.
7. You can also use frozen strawberries.

For the whipped brie cheese

1. Chop up brie into small pieces.
2. Add the cream.
3. Using a paddle attachment on a mixer whip on medium speed until combined – don’t worry if there are lumps.
4. Push mixture through a fine mesh sieve so that the mixture will be smooth.
5. Season to taste, cover and set aside.

For the caramelized pears

1. Melt butter in a pan on low heat – do not allow the butter to change colour.
2. Add the sugar and combine with butter.
3. Add the pear wedges and toss to coat evenly.
4. Increase the heat to medium.
5. Pay very close attention as the sugar turns to caramel, DO NOT LEAVE UNATTENDED.
6. Once caramelized remove from heat and remove pears immediately.
7. Set aside and allow to cool.

For serving

1. Pour the consommé onto the plate first and plate everything else on top as desired.
2. Finish with the freshly diced apple.

With salad recipes like this, provided by the Granny Mouse Country House & Spa Culinary Artists, why would you want to go and dine, or stay anywhere else! To book your seat at one of their two stunning restaurants, or for a stay over, visit www.grannymouse.co.za