Mongooses are happy and healthy little animals that run around all day making sure they get a varied and wholesome diet! They forage and ferret and fuss until they know they’ve got the meal they want. The Munching Mongoose team source great fresh food and deliver it right to you – no chemicals, no fuss, no worry!
On my last couple of days in Johannesburg, before moving to London, I was treated to a most deliciously substantial bag of groceries. This array of Jozi’s finest local produce came courtesy of Munching Mongoose.
It wasn’t just about receiving fresh, wholesome, colourful food that made me excited, it was the personalised novelty of the product. I had a letter of welcome, the Munching Mongoose subscription, this included a bit of contextual information regarding that week’s local finds. The wine label was printed with a message addressed to me; and the delivery was conducted by a most characterful team member, Brad. One of the masterminds behind this inspired brand.
Pause.. Rewind:
Early this year I made the decision to eat healthier. I have always been a healthy eater, but this time I wanted to understand food, engage, appreciate, and therefore avoid being any sort of ignorant grazer.
I knew about what to eat and what not to eat, I’ve grown up in a family with conscious and adventurous palates. But there’s always more to explore. I had an intolerance test done some time in March which left me cutting out many tasty staples. Thus I became a seriously experimental eater. It has paid off so far: I feel a lot better.
The point of this being said is, as I began this process I noticed more and more the amount of crazy things people put in their mouths. Literally, taking groceries off the shelf of their local food store and throwing it into the trolley. How often does one read the ingredients?
What we’re eating half the time is pretty unsettling. Ignorance is not bliss in this department. I’ve learned a thing or two; If a package says healthy, check its contents, because it most probably isn’t. There’s not enough red tape on what you’re allowed to flaunt on your packaging. Unfortunately one can’t be a trustful shopper anymore. So for the sake of the kids, I think more time paid to reading package ingredients and understanding what you’re eating, may very well change your life.
Back to the good stuff:
This leads me to Munching Mongoose. Naturally I got enthusiastic about this new Jozi company. Not just because it’s healthy, and fresh. But because it’s a small organisation with a big passion, a big vision, and a big heart for community. They’re local and thrive on supporting our sustainable organic farmers. And finally us, the common grocery shopper, we’re able to directly support them, and in turn become apart of something. You subscribe and MM does the shopping. Groceries at your door each week!
What MM stand for
It’s pretty simple. The organisation was founded by a group of friends with a passion to look after others, and the environment. Their view is straightforward, by doing good it produces good! good old fashioned principles of the ideal citizen, something that should never die out. Their act is to source and gather great food and make it convenient for others.
A percentage of MM earning’s goes to the Abraham Kriel Children’s Home. Abraham Kriel rehabilitate, care for and educate abused and abandoned children – www.abrahamkriel.org. Bringing them some of the quality goods that MM customers enjoy. Apart from that, there are ongoing projects to create sustainable vegetable gardens for their homes. If you’d like to be more involved in this movement, there an option is to sponsor a monthly box or even on ad-hoc basis.
How MM works
MM encourages us to receive their produce as part of your weekly grocery intake, not as something purchased over and above it. You’ll find many staples in each weekly delivery with the added bonus of spontaneous variety from their side according new finds of the week and the turn of seasons. This gives you a change in taste and diet each week, this becomes particularly helpful (in my experience) when it’s your job to decide what the family is eating each night.
According to your area, you’ll have your goods delivered on a Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. The subscription works on a month to month basis, so one would pay monthly for their weekly deliveries. There are a choices in size and variation, check out their options here.
At the moment their boxes contain a variation of the following:
Farm-fresh, free-range, grass-fed milk
Locally made organic and gourmet cheese
Free-range, pasture-fed eggs
Fresh & seasonal fruit and vegetables from ethical farms
Artisan Bread
A surprise product or two
My week of eating semi organic
I enjoyed the mini box of goodness last week (R399). It worked out superbly as I had so many loved ones come round to bid their farewell, food was in high demand for the lunches and dinners each day. I was quite thrilled to hear others’ comments on the lovely items I had received.
What was in my bag
Fresh milk, in a traditionally English glass decanter. Pure farm goodness, when last did you drink milk with a layer of cream on top?
Melt in your mouth danish feta
Decadent chocolate truffles, 5 in total by Tjoklit. The generous sized balls of organic chocolate were a lovely blend of dark and milk chocolate, well at least that’s how it tasted.
a bottle of red wine, courtesy of Knorhoek. A beautiful compliment to dinner.
A fresh loaf of french bread from Knead, this didn’t last long at all, nothing beats a fresh loaf with butter.
A box of free-range organic eggs
A range of fresh salad greens
A range of fresh vegetables. The sweet potatoes were wonderful, we made sweet potato and ricotta gnocchi.
I must say it was pretty brilliant to have my groceries picked out for me and the family. It felt like the hard part was done and now all I needed was to cook up my inspirations. There is something really uplifting about going fresh and understanding what you’re supporting. It begins to inspire other smaller lifestyle changes, and that part really makes you feel good.
If you’re interested in taking a closer look at this munching gem: get in contact, check out their site, or Facebook Page. If you’re keen to dive right in, here’s where you sign up.
Word & Images by Jazz Christie
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