4 - Recognised
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Héron's cooking is rooted in traceable, named sourcing from Dutch farms, waters, and wild landscapes.
Local and direct sourcing runs deep: Tuinderij Eykenstein supplies certified organic vegetables, Buitengewone Varkens provides outdoor-raised pork from Slot Zuylestein in Leersum, De Goede Vissers lands sustainably caught fish from Lauwersoog, and Kaasmakerij Köning delivers farmhouse cheese from near Zevenaar. A five-hectare food forest in Haarzuilens and wild foraging around Utrecht supply further ingredients. Seasonal cooking follows directly from this sourcing: the tasting menu shifts with the harvest, and fermentation and preservation extend seasonal ingredients across the year. The kitchen practises nose-to-tail and root-to-leaf cooking, converting vegetable trimmings into bouillons, powders and oils, and fish scraps into garum. A zero single-use-plastics policy and eco-sourced operational products reinforce the circular approach. Animal products are fully traceable to named suppliers with documented welfare standards, and the kitchen butchers whole animals and fillets fish in house. The team works four-day weeks with equal tip distribution across all roles including dishwashers.
Héron holds the Michelin Green Star and is listed in the We're Smart Green Guide with three radishes.
The impact dimensions
Low waste & circular practices✓
Sustainable animal products✓
Direct sourcing from six or more named Dutch suppliers across vegetables, meat, fish and dairy; wild foraging and a five-hectare food forest supplement the sourcing.
The kitchen sources exclusively from Dutch soil and waters via six or more named, traceable suppliers: Tuinderij Eykenstein (certified organic vegetables), Buitengewone Varkens (outdoor-raised pork, Slot Zuylestein, Leersum), De Goede Vissers (fish, Lauwersoog), Kaasmakerij Köning (farmhouse cheese, near Zevenaar), and Voedselbos (five-hectare food forest, Haarzuilens). Natural wines come from Wijnen van 't Fort; further partners include Kwekerij A8, Het Akkervarken, and Molen Rijn en Lek.
Wild foraging from nature around Utrecht and the food forest supplement purchased ingredients. The named suppliers are located within the region, emphasising direct relationships and seasonal knowledge.
The menu changes seasonally and fermentation extends seasonal ingredients across the year; the kitchen sources from a food forest and wild foraging shaped by the harvest cycle.
The kitchen is founded on seasonal produce: the menu changes with the seasons and draws from wild foraging and a food forest in Haarzuilens. Sample dishes reference clearly seasonal ingredients—asparagus, wild garlic, elderflower, meiraps.
Fermentation and preservation deliberately extend seasonal ingredients: koji, amazake, garum and pickling allow the kitchen to serve asparagus in winter and kale in summer, building continuity across the year.
Vegetable trimmings converted to bouillons and powders; fish scraps become garum; whole-animal butchery and fish filleting on premises; zero single-use plastics and furniture sourced from salvage.
Food waste: nose-to-tail and root-to-leaf cooking drives the practice. Vegetable tops and peels become bouillons, powders and oils; fish scraps become garum. Whole-animal butchery and fish filleting occur on premises, with fermentation (koji, amazake) serving deliberate waste-reduction.
Plastic and packaging: zero single-use plastics, reusable lids, and eco-sourced operational products (ZO soap, The Good Roll toilet paper, sustainable menu paper). The dining room is furnished entirely from salvage—chairs from the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs, bar beams from a Zutphen house, recycled marble tile table tops.
Named suppliers for meat, fish and cheese with specific locations; whole-animal butchery and fish filleting on premises; no formal certification but individual producers with verifiable operations.
Meat from Buitengewone Varkens (Josse Haarhuis, Slot Zuylestein, Leersum)—outdoor-raised pork. Fish from De Goede Vissers (Jan and Barbara Geertsema, Lauwersoog)—sustainably caught, sold directly at Utrecht Vredenburgplein (Fridays) and Amsterdam Noordermarkt (Saturdays). Cheese from Kaasmakerij Köning (Christine, near Zevenaar)—award-winning farmhouse varieties.
Whole-animal butchery and fish filleting on premises support waste reduction and a quality-over-volume approach. No formal MSC, ASC or Beter Leven certification is named, but suppliers are specific, named individuals with verifiable, traceable operations.
Maximum four-day work weeks and equal tip distribution across all roles including dishwashers; named team members including sous-chef Aaron van Zon indicate investment in individual development.
Maximum four-day work weeks for all staff; tips distributed equally across all roles, including dishwashers; transparent wage structure; daily 30-minute team meal before service. Named team members include sous-chef Aaron van Zon (desem bread specialist), suggesting investment in individual development. Chef Josephien Blom and founders Victor Stukker and Joyce Bielderman work alongside staff with no management hierarchy.
Vegetables and foraged ingredients feature prominently on the tasting menu; dedicated vegetarian and vegan menus available; plants are a core ingredient but animal proteins are equally prominent.
Vegetables and foraged ingredients feature prominently: meiraps with wild oysters and angelica root oil, chioggia with marsh samphire and crispy seaweed, beet with shio koji and caramelised endive. Dedicated vegetarian and vegan tasting menus are available with advance notice.
Animal proteins are equally prominent in the standard menu—beef tongue, lamb rack, cod, pied de cochon, farmhouse cheese. Plants are a core ingredient but not yet the structural centre of the kitchen; We're Smart Green Guide describes the restaurant as 'still in growth mode, sharpening its ambitions year after year'.
Sourcing signals
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Certified organic ingredients
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Direct named-farm sourcing
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Low-impact beverage program
Tuinderij Eykenstein supplies certified organic vegetables; the term is legally protected in the Netherlands.
Six or more named suppliers across vegetables, meat, fish, cheese, foraged produce and natural wines, all with specific locations.
Whole-animal butchery, fish filleting, fermentation (koji, amazake, garum, desem bread), stocks, sauces, preserves and non-alcoholic pairings all made in house.
Natural and biodynamic wines from small European producers via Wijnen van 't Fort; house-made non-alcoholic pairings (kombucha, fermented beverages, syrups, fruit infusions).
