5 - Outstanding
i
The kitchen draws on the estate's own vegetable garden, herb beds, orchards and vineyard, along with named regional producers including a butcher in Margraten and Wijndomein St. Martinus in nearby Vijlen. We're Smart Green Guide coverage documents the kitchen's integration of estate wild harvests and orchards alongside garden produce. The à la carte of about ten dishes changes with the season, built around what the garden and the region make available. Meat for the kitchen comes from the same province, and chef Guido Le Bron de Vexela has stated a commitment to regional sourcing over long-distance commodity supply chains.
Château St. Gerlach holds Green Key Gold (2025), the certification's highest tier, awarded after an on-site audit covering energy, water and waste handling across hospitality operations. Oostwegel Collection, the family-owned company that operates the chateau, holds B Corporation certification (September 2025), the first five-star hotel company in the Netherlands to receive the recognition, and runs the OC Academy in partnership with Hotel Management School Maastricht for staff development. Les Salons is listed on the We're Smart Green Guide, and the property is a member of Relais & Châteaux.
The impact dimensions
Low waste & circular practices✓
Sustainable animal products✓
Multiple named local suppliers including a butcher in Margraten and Wijndomein St. Martinus in Vijlen, plus extensive use of the estate's own gardens, orchards, and vineyard.
The kitchen draws on multiple named, traceable local suppliers: meat from a butcher in Margraten (Limburg), wine from Wijndomein St. Martinus in Vijlen (Limburg), and produce from the estate's own vegetable garden, herb beds, orchard, and vineyard. We're Smart Green Guide editorial coverage confirms the kitchen makes full use of everything present at the estate: gardens, orchards, nut trees, herbs, flowers, forest mushrooms, and wild harvests.
The chef has publicly committed to regional sourcing, rejecting long-distance commodity protein supply chains. Independent coverage by Chapeau Magazine and Gault&Millau corroborates this local-sourcing posture across produce and meat categories.
About ten dishes on the à la carte change with the season, built around estate and regional produce.
Chef Guido Le Bron de Vexela reworked the classic à la carte into roughly ten dishes that change with the season, prepared as much as possible with produce from the region or the estate. Seasonality is a guiding principle for the kitchen.
We're Smart Green Guide and independent editorial coverage describe the kitchen's reliance on estate garden produce, orchards, foraged mushrooms, and wild harvests. The estate also hosts annual WIJland Harvest Dinners structured around the vegetable garden's yield.
Château St. Gerlach holds Green Key Gold (2025) and Oostwegel Collection is B Corporation certified (September 2025); both evaluated waste and environmental practices via on-site audit.
Château St. Gerlach holds Green Key Gold, awarded in 2025 as the certification's highest tier after an on-site audit covering energy, water, and waste handling across hospitality operations, including the food and beverage outlets.
Oostwegel Collection's published commitments include a 20% reduction in energy and water consumption by 2026 (a 10-year target set in 2016) and B Corporation certification awarded in September 2025, which evaluated waste and environmental practices.
Meat sourced from a named butcher in Margraten; pike-perch and venison on the menu suggest regional sourcing, though no welfare certifications are documented.
Meat is sourced from a named butcher in Margraten in the same province. Signature dishes documented by Gault&Millau include pike-perch and venison, both consistent with regional sourcing patterns.
The chef has publicly stated a preference for regional proteins over long-distance commodity options. No MSC, ASC, Beter Leven, or equivalent welfare certification is documented for any animal product in public sources.
Oostwegel Collection holds B Corporation certification (September 2025, first in the Netherlands); runs the OC Academy staff-development programme in partnership with Hotel Management School Maastricht; and pledges revenue to cultural-heritage preservation.
Oostwegel Collection (the family-owned company operating Château St. Gerlach) was certified as a B Corporation in September 2025, the first five-star hotel company in the Netherlands to earn the recognition. B Corp evaluation covered worker compensation, diversity, and corporate transparency.
Named ongoing commitments include the OC Academy, a structured staff-development programme run in partnership with Hotel Management School Maastricht and local MBO courses, and a Heritage Pledge that allocates a percentage of revenue to cultural-heritage preservation. Independent press coverage confirms the B Corp certification publicly.
A dedicated plant-based offering runs alongside the regular menu; We're Smart Green Guide notes it is 'fully dedicated to pure plant', though meat and fish dishes are prominent on the à la carte.
We're Smart Green Guide describes the kitchen as one where pure plant products play a central role and notes an offering fully dedicated to plant cuisine alongside the regular menu.
The estate's vegetable, herb, and orchard produce provide structural support for plant-forward composition. However, the kitchen format remains French classical with prominent meat and fish dishes on the regular à la carte; plants share the menu rather than dominate it.
Sourcing signals
✓
Direct named-farm sourcing
✓
Low-impact beverage program
Estate operates vegetable garden, herb gardens, orchard, and vineyard; produce from these is used in the kitchen. We're Smart Green Guide confirms the kitchen makes full use of estate gardens, orchards, nut trees, herbs, flowers, forest mushrooms, and wild harvests.
Named suppliers include a butcher in Margraten (for veal stew) and Wijndomein St. Martinus in Vijlen for wines, documented in independent editorial coverage. Estate's own garden and vineyard provide additional direct produce.
Estate produces wines from its own vineyard and serves wines from Wijndomein St. Martinus in nearby Vijlen, both within approximately 10 km.
