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Otterlo · Netherlands

Restaurant Cèpes

A Veluwe fine dining kitchen where chef Robert Hartelman builds surprise menus around named regional producers and the seasons.

The essentials, at a glance

◐
Impact score
4 - Recognised
→
Documented practices
Local sourcing
Seasonal cooking
Low waste
Sustainable meat/fish
Social impact

Style
Fine dining
Cosy
Cuisine
Dutch
French
Mediterranean

The delicious details

Restaurant Cèpes sits on the edge of the Hoge Veluwe national park as the kitchen of Hotel de Sterrenberg, where chef Robert Hartelman cooks a classical French repertoire coloured by Mediterranean and regional Veluwe flavours. The à la carte menu has been set aside in favour of surprise and set menus that follow what the region and the seasons offer, each available in meat, fish, vegetarian and full vegan versions.

Sourcing is the heart of the operation, held to a standard of roughly 80 per cent local. Cheese arrives as whole wheels of Remeker from De Groote Voort in Lunteren, vegetables come from De Groenerie in Harskamp, and trout from 't Smallert, alongside game from the surrounding forests. A kitchen garden of berry bushes, fruit trees and herbs supplies the plate directly.

Inside, wood, steel and concrete with warm tones make for a relaxed, comfortable dining room. Sauces and stocks are prepared in house.

Menu
What's on the table, and what's left off

Menus are built as surprise or set sequences that change with the harvest, and each is offered in meat, fish, vegetarian and full vegan versions, with a dedicated vegetable course running through every menu. Dishes lean on regional produce, from Veluwe game to organic trout, with vegetables from the restaurant's own kitchen garden and named local growers such as De Groenerie in Harskamp.

Cuisine
Dutch
French
Mediterranean
Dietary options
Vegetarian options
Vegan-friendly
Impact score
How this restaurant rates
4 - Recognised

The kitchen has confirmed strong practice across five areas of responsible cooking.

Sourcing is close to home, held to a stated standard of roughly 80 per cent local, with named producers including Remeker cheese from De Groote Voort in Lunteren, vegetables from De Groenerie in Harskamp, trout from 't Smallert and game from the surrounding Veluwe forests. Menus follow the seasons and the local harvest, and the kitchen has moved away from à la carte to cook what the region offers at the time.

Cheese is bought as whole wheels, sauces and stocks are prepared in house, and a kitchen garden supplies herbs, berries and fruit, which keeps waste low. Meat and fish are traced to named regional farms and waters, with eel and tuna kept off the menu. The team is looked after through four day working weeks, profit sharing and a thirteenth month, part of the restaurant's wider social commitment.

The impact dimensions
Local & direct sourcing✓
Seasonal cooking✓
Low waste & circular practices✓
Sustainable animal products✓
Social impact✓
Plant-forward menu

Roughly 80 per cent of ingredients sourced from named regional producers: Remeker cheese from Lunteren, vegetables from Harskamp, trout from Emst, game from the Veluwe forests.

Local and direct sourcing is a core value, held to a stated standard of roughly 80 per cent local. Named, traceable producers span most categories: Remeker cheese bought as whole wheels from De Groote Voort in Lunteren, vegetables from De Groenerie in Harskamp, trout from 't Smallert in Emst, meat from Farm Fields in Wekerom and a Wagyu farmer in Harskamp, bread from Jorisbrood in Ede and ice cream from IJs van Co in Hoenderloo.

Independent food journalism corroborates the 80 per cent local mission and several of the named suppliers, confirming the kitchen's commitment to regional sourcing.

Strongest sourcechefsfriends.nl ↗

Menus change with the seasons and local harvest, with surprise and set sequences replacing à la carte.

The kitchen is organised around seasonal availability. À la carte has been dropped in favour of set and surprise menus that follow the local harvest and change in character through the year, lighter in spring and earthier in autumn. Crops are planned year round with grower De Groenerie and supplemented by an on-site kitchen garden.

The ChefsFriends interview and the restaurant's own material corroborate this seasonal-only approach.

Strongest sourcechefsfriends.nl ↗

Cheese bought as whole wheels, sauces and stocks prepared in house, on-site kitchen garden.

Several concrete practices are described: cheese bought as whole wheels, sauces and stocks prepared in house, and an on-site kitchen garden of berry bushes, fruit trees and herbs.

The parent hotel operates as a corporate social responsibility business and has removed breakfast buffets to cut food waste, providing context for the restaurant's circular practices.

Strongest sourcecepes.nl ↗

Animal products traced to named regional producers; eel and tuna excluded from the menu.

Animal products are traced to named regional producers: organic trout from 't Smallert, goat products from De Groote Stroe, Wagyu from a Harskamp farmer, game from the surrounding Veluwe forests, and fish via Streekvis. The chef states that eel and tuna are kept off the menu.

Independent food journalism corroborates the species avoidance and the sourcing relationships.

Strongest sourcechefsfriends.nl ↗

Four-day working weeks, profit sharing, and a thirteenth month for kitchen staff; ongoing direct relationships with local producers.

Fair employment is described specifically in independent food journalism: four-day working weeks, a thirteenth month and profit sharing for kitchen staff, alongside a loyal core team.

The restaurant also supports local producers through ongoing direct relationships.

Strongest sourcechefsfriends.nl ↗

Every menu includes a dedicated vegetable course and full vegetarian and vegan versions on request.

Plant presence is meaningful without being dominant. Every menu carries a dedicated vegetable course and full vegetarian and vegan versions of each menu are available on request.

The kitchen's identity remains built around regional meat, game and fish surprise menus, so plants are not structurally the main event.

Strongest sourcecepes.nl ↗
Sourcing signals
✓
Own-grown produce
✓
Direct named-farm sourcing
✓
In-house preparation

On-site kitchen garden with 500+ berry bushes, fruit trees, herbs and flowers supplying the kitchen.

Eight named suppliers provide cheese, vegetables, trout, bread, ice cream and other ingredients from across the Veluwe region.

Sauces and long-simmered stocks are prepared in house.

Visit & practical info
Address, price, and more
Address
Houtkampweg 1, 6731 AV Otterlo, Otterlo, Netherlands
Open in Google Maps ↗
Price
€€€
Format
Set and surprise menus; meat, fish, vegetarian, vegan versions; reservations advised
Hours
Monday12:00–23:00
Tuesday12:00–23:00
Wednesday12:00–23:00
Thursday12:00–23:00
Friday12:00–23:00
Saturday12:00–23:00
SundayClosed
Style
Fine dining
Cosy
Web
cepes.nl
Reserve a table
Reviewed by My Treats
Last reviewed 13 Jul 2026
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How we score
The My Treats impact scale

Every restaurant is assessed against SEERO, our six-dimension sustainability framework — covering sourcing, seasonality, waste, animal products, social impact, and plant-forward cooking. Each finding is weighted by how strongly it is corroborated. The combined result is translated into a planet rating from 1 to 5.

The five levels

SEERO is an acronym for Starting, Engaged, Endorsed, Recognised, Outstanding:

Starting First verified signals of sustainable practice.
Engaged Credible practice across two dimensions.
Endorsed Meaningful practice across three or more dimensions.
Recognised Strong practice across four or more dimensions, with independent corroboration.
This place
Outstanding Top-tier practice, confirmed by recognised third-party audit.

How a level is reached. Each level needs two things together: a minimum number of dimensions covered, and a minimum overall strength of evidence across them. A dimension only counts once its evidence is specific and substantiated — a passing mention doesn't qualify. Meeting only one of the two keeps a restaurant a level lower.

Ratings of four or five planets require human validation and, at the top tier, an external audit. Scores are based on publicly available evidence and restaurant submissions at the time of assessment.

Full methodology→
Impact dimension
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How this dimension works
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How evidence is weighted
Self-declared Stated by the restaurant on its website, menu or in a submission. Plausible, but not yet independently corroborated.
Researched Found through independent research; one credible third-party source backs the claim.
Vouched Corroborated across more than one independent source. Some gaps may remain.
Audited Fully corroborated across independent sources or by a recognised third-party certification.
What the sourcing checkmarks mean
✓ Full check — independently verified: corroborated across more than one source, or audited / third-party certified (vouched or audited).
✓ Light check — self-declared or from a single source. Not yet independently verified.
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