You would have read in previous blogs that we have the most beautiful veggie & herb gardens growing in our Village.

Headed up by Reckson Dhlamini and Jess MacLarty, we now have 36 gardens brimming with rocket, parsley, spinach, basil, mint and much more!

Jess MacLarty and Frank Ubisi pose proudly in one of the many vegetable gardens dotted around the Londolozi Village.

All of this deliciousness is grown proudly by the Londolozi staff  – from the housekeepers, to the habitat team, butlers and chefs.

The kitchen subsidises the staff with each 100g of veg they bring in, which assists them in buying more seeds, growing vegetables for themselves and supporting their families.

The Londolozi Kitchen is very lucky to receive these completely organic veggies in to the kitchen three times a week – making the chefs very happy!

It’s a great moment when one of the ladies or Frank (aka Spinach Green Leaves) walk into the kitchen with their harvest of vegetables & herbs.

Frank Ubisi brings in a bounty of fresh spinach leaves, the vegetable he has become renowned for at Londolozi.

On our current lunch menu, we have chosen to name the salad the ‘2020 Village Salad’ – this in keeping with our 2020 vision highlighting sustainability, freshness and co-creation.

Our infamous Londolozi Sexy Salad Dressing (something sure to make you feel absolutely fabulous each and every time you drizzle it on your salad) which graces each Boma Salad Bar is also made from all the herbs in the gardens!

One of my most requested recipes, I will share this with you all today…

Lindiwe Mabunda and Reckson Dhlamini deliver fresh rocket, spinach and salad leaves from the village gardens. The mere fact that the produce is carried or wheel-barrowed down from the village makes us proud. It is literally zero carbon footprint produce.

2020 Village Salad

Ingredients

1 x                      bunch fresh spinach

1 x                      bunch fresh rocket (arugula)

300g                 haloumi cheese

200g                 roasted butternut

50g                   toasted pumpkin seeds

Method

1. Peel & cut the butternut into cubes.

2. Sprinkle with cinnamon & drizzle with honey and olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes at 180’C

3. Cut the Halloumi cheese into batons and grill in a hot pan until soft, yet crispy on the outside.

4. Wash the spinach & rocket well (you should always wash spinach at least 6 times to remove any grit!)

5. Roughly rip the spinach into pieces

6. Arrange the leaves in a bowl, layering up with the grilled halloumi & butternut.

7. Drizzle with the Sexy Salad Dressing and sprinkle with the roasted pumpkin seeds for some extra crunch

Spinach, rocket and grilled halloumi salad dotted with honey and cinnamon roasted butternut and topped with crunchy pumpkin seeds.

Mandla Sibuyi, Anna Ridgewell and Frank Ubisi inspect the array of vegetables being grown right here on Londolozi.

Londolozi Sexy Salad Dressing

Ingredients

1 x                               whole bunch of herbs – coriander, parsley, chives, basil

3 x                              tbsp wholegrain mustard

500ml                       olive oil

100ml                        red wine vinegar

5 x                               cloves fresh garlic, crushed

Salt & Pepper           to season

Method

1. Put all the ingredients in a blend and blend until smooth!

2. Pour into a bottle and keep in the fridge

3. Enjoy drizzled over salad leaves

The infamous Londolozi Sexy Salad Dressing made using fresh herbs straight from our gardens.

Another great use of fresh spinach is our Londolozi Spinach Salad that is easy to put together and deliciously festive for any Christmas table!

Londolozi Spinach Christmas Salad

Ingredients

3 Bunches                         spinach (you can also use baby spinach if you prefer)

3 Red Onions                   roasted and cut into wedges

1 Red Pepper                    seeds removed and cut into triangles

1 Yellow Pepper               seeds removed and cut into triangles

125g                                    blue cheese, crumbled

Dressing

½ Cup                               olive oil

½ Cup                               balsamic vinegar

50g                                     pitted dates, soaked in hot water until soft

Salt & Pepper                   to taste

Method

1. Wash the spinach well – rip into pieces (or if using baby spinach, keep whole)

2. Roast the onions & peppers in the oven with a little olive oil, until soft and cooked

3. For the Dressing: Blend the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and dates until smooth. Season with salt & pepper

To Assemble

1. Layer the spinach leaves with a few roasted onions, peppers and crumbled blue cheese up on a plate. Crumble the remaining blue cheese on top.

2. When ready to serve, drizzle the dressing over.

Anna’s Tip: It is always great to have a jar of roasted peppers in the fridge to add to any salad. Roast the peppers with lots of olive oil. When done, remove the skins and place in a jar, using the oil they were roasted in. Top up with a little more olive oil and add a sprig of rosemary for flavour!

Spinach, creamy gorgonzola, roasted pepper and sweet roasted red onion salad drizzled with a date dressing.

I hope you enjoy these recipes and look forward to hearing from you should you have any questions!

Happy salad making!