4 - Recognised
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Our motto: 'By far, the best from nearby'. The seasons provide inspiration for the carefully selected ingredients, which means the menu changes regularly. The ambitious kitchen team, led by Matthijs Pijpers, works with approximately 80% products from the 'Utrechtse Heuvelrug' or at least from Dutch soil. It gives a kick when we make our own miso from the residual waste of walnuts or old bread or obtain local-grown vegetables with a 'foreign origin' such as edamame beans from Flevoland, kiwi from Utrecht or paksoi from a near estate.
We work every day to make our business activities more sustainable, using cooking techniques such as pickling, fermenting, preserving, roasting and smoking. We minimize waste by processing residual waste into soup, sauces, powder, miso, staff food or for example bitterballs. Our staff is low-waste trained.
We avoid plastic usage by ordering a lot of products in crates or paper bags. The plastic we have left is separated from the other residual flows (paper, compost, glass, etc). We strive to stock as much as fairtrade, local or biological beverages.
The impact dimensions
Low waste & circular practices✓
Sustainable animal products✓
Approximately 80 per cent of ingredients sourced from Dutch soil, with eight or more named local suppliers credited on the menu.
Approximately 80 per cent of ingredients sourced from Dutch soil, predominantly from the Utrechtse Heuvelrug region. Named local suppliers credited on the menu include Regeneratieve Boerderij Schevichoven (regenerative farm, Leersum), Tuinderij Steef & Eef (organic vegetables, Leersum), Landgoed Zuylestein (estate vegetables, Leersum), de Veldkeuken (baked goods, Bunnik), Friethoes, Slager Ben (Duroc ham), de Oesterij (Zeeland oysters), and Veluwse Black Angus (organic beef, Veluwe).
Per-category sourcing from restaurant submission: fruit and vegetables 60–80 per cent local (additional suppliers Wim Oskam Fruit, wild picking); meat and poultry 80–100 per cent local (Buitengewone Varkels, Schaapskudde Doorn); seafood 80–100 per cent North Sea (Streekvis, Dutch Yellowtail Kingfish); dairy 80–100 per cent local (Brienenshof, Domburg kaas); grains and legumes 80–100 per cent local (Veldkeuken, Dutch Edamame). Owners conduct weekly supplier rounds, maintaining direct producer relationships.
Current menu features seasonal late-spring produce (asparagus, rhubarb, morels); kitchen uses preservation techniques to extend ingredients.
The menu reflects a strong seasonal identity, featuring distinctly seasonal ingredients: white asparagus, rhubarb, ramson (wild garlic), morels, and green asparagus, all typical late-spring produce in the Netherlands. The kitchen uses preservation techniques—pickling, fermenting, smoking—to extend the life of seasonal ingredients.
The menu largely follows seasonal availability and is regularly recomposed in collaboration with local suppliers. The compact à la carte format occasionally requires less seasonal products, but these are still sourced from Dutch soil.
Five-stream waste separation, kitchen-scrap processing, reusable containers, and 30+ documented sustainable actions.
Multiple waste-reduction and circular practices are documented across three sub-areas. Waste reduction: five-stream separation, composting, kitchen-scrap processing (soups, sauces, miso, bitterballen), and staff training. Energy: green energy supplier with sensors for public light and water, electric kitchen, 100 per cent A-label equipment; solar panels and further insulation restricted by the monumental building. Plastic: vegetable and bread deliveries in reusable crates, biodegradable piping bags, cleaning spray in reusable containers, syrup mocktails to reduce transport volume; some packaging remains plastic.
Additional practices include deposit bottles for milk and beverages, tap water only (no bottled), eco-friendly cleaning products throughout, kitchen uniforms from organic cotton and recycled PET bottles, staff vests from repurposed curtains and upholstery, and GOTS/MVO-labelled napkins. The restaurant has developed its own 'green gastro rozet' documenting more than 30 integrated actions.
All meat and fish from named suppliers; beef organic, kingfish ASC-certified; portions 100–130 grams.
Meat sourcing: Buitengewone Varkens, Slager Ben (Duroc ham), Schaapskudde Doorn (occasional lamb), Hanos and Driessen (Dutch meat only), and Veluwse Black Angus (organic beef, Veluwe). Fish sourcing: Streekvis, Dutch Yellowtail Kingfish (ASC-certified aquaculture), and de Oesterij (oysters). Dairy: Brienenshof and Domburg kaas (Dutch farms).
Meat is served in modest portions (100–130 grams). The beef is organic and from a named producer; the kingfish carries ASC certification. Multiple named verifiable suppliers cover meat, fish, and dairy categories.
Strongest source Restaurant submission
Four-day working week, above-average wages, staff training; chef is Euro-Toques biodiversity ambassador.
Fair-employment practices include a four-day working week with one weekend day off plus two other days off, above-average wages, and annual training courses on beverage categories (beer, wine, coffee). Long-distance staff retention is noted: students from Groningen and Maastricht travel to work every weekend.
Community engagement includes collaboration with Bird Beer on a National Park Utrechtse Heuvelrug edition menu item and occasional sponsorship of the local hockey club. Chef Matthijs Pijpers serves as a Euro-Toques Nederland ambassador for 'biodiversiteit op je bord' (biodiversity on your plate).
Strongest source Restaurant submission
55 per cent plant-forward menu ('plant & land'); vegetarian options comprise most main dishes.
The menu is split 55 per cent plant-forward ('plant & land') and 45 per cent meat and seafood ('vee & zee'). The current menu offers approximately 50 per cent plant-based options across courses: two of four starters are vegetarian (nut pâté, cauliflower), two of four mains are vegetarian (pointed cabbage, ravioli), one of two shared dishes is plant-based, and desserts include vegan options.
Vegetable-led cooking is central to the kitchen's identity; the nut pâté is a plant-based alternative to traditional pâté. The restaurant is listed by the We're Smart Green Guide under its Radish Leafs designation.
Sourcing signals
✓
Direct named-farm sourcing
✓
Low-impact beverage program
Eight or more named local suppliers credited across categories: Regeneratieve Boerderij Schevichoven and Landgoed Zuylestein (vegetables), Slager Ben and Veluwse Black Angus (meat), de Oesterij (oysters). Restaurant submission expands with Wim Oskam Fruit, Buitengewone Varkens, Streekvis, Brienenshof, and Dutch Edamame.
Kitchen practises pickling, fermenting, preserving, roasting, and smoking; menu items include in-house miso (from walnut and bread residue), rillettes, tartares, and elderflower syrup. Kitchen scraps are processed into soups, sauces, powders, and staff meals.
Tony Chocolonely named as the chocolate supplier; restaurant strives to stock fairtrade, local, or organic beverages where possible.
Dutch craft beer (Bird Beer, Wilderland, Brouwerij het IJ, Jopen), craft sodas (Fritz), local juice, and house-made elderflower syrup are stocked. Beverage sourcing self-rated 40–60 per cent local; tap water served and deposit bottles used.
Vegetables and bread delivered in reusable crates; cleaning products in reusable containers; biodegradable piping bags used. Remaining plastic is separated from other waste streams (paper, compost, glass).
