4 - Recognised
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Le Botaniste has confirmed strong practice across four areas of responsible cooking. The kitchen is fully plant-based: vegetables, pulses and whole grains carry every bowl, starter and dessert, and no meat, fish or dairy is used, so animal sourcing does not arise. The whole menu is certified organic, and the wine list is organic natural wine.
Waste and emissions are worked on in detail. Food is plated on Japanese ceramics in house and packed into compostable bowls to take away, water is filtered rather than bottled, the pulp left from the beetroot juice is turned into a beetroot caviar, and surplus food is sold through Too Good To Go. Working with the environmental consultancy CO2logic, the restaurant measured the emissions of each recipe, publishes the figure for every menu item and offsets the balance.
Beyond the restaurant, Le Botaniste funds reforestation with GoForest, planting the Le Botaniste Forest in north-west Peru from 2021 and extending it to Armenia the following year, more than 3,500 trees to date, one for every member of staff and matching donations from guests. Third-party recognition comes from the organic certification held with Certisys and the carbon-neutral certification carried out with CO2logic.
The impact dimensions
Low waste & circular practices
Sustainable animal products
One supplier is named: Bio Fresh, an organic wholesaler providing fresh produce daily.
One supplier is named: Bio Fresh, described as providing fresh produce daily. Bio Fresh is an organic wholesaler rather than a farm or grower, so no direct producer relationship is evidenced and no individual farm is named on the menu, the website or in coverage.
The whole menu is certified organic by Certisys, the Belgian organic control body. The city of Ghent tourism office independently describes the kitchen as 100 per cent organic, and press coverage cites the same figure.
Strongest source Restaurant submission
Food waste is upcycled into beetroot caviar; packaging uses Japanese ceramics in-house and compostable bowls for takeaway; emissions are measured and offset through CO2logic partnership.
Named, specific practices are documented across three waste sub-areas. Food waste: the pulp left from the red beetroot juice is turned into beetroot caviar, and surplus food is sold through Too Good To Go. Packaging: food is plated on Japanese ceramics for eating in and packed into compostable bowls for takeaway; water is filtered on site rather than bought bottled. Energy and emissions: the restaurant works with the environmental consultancy CO2logic to measure and offset the emissions of every recipe.
Reforestation with GoForest adds more than 3,500 trees since 2021. Third-party recognition comes from the organic certification held with Certisys and the carbon-neutral certification carried out with CO2logic.
Strongest source Restaurant submission
Not applicable; the kitchen is 100 per cent plant-based.
The restaurant is fully plant-based: no meat, poultry, fish, seafood, dairy or egg appears on the bowls, starters, shareable plates, dessert or drinks lists, and no animal product is offered as a side or addition. The kitchen is described as 100 per cent plant-based by the restaurant itself, by the city of Ghent tourism office and by editorial coverage, and is listed as fully vegan on plant-based directories.
Strongest source Restaurant submission
The restaurant funds reforestation through GoForest, with more than 3,500 trees planted in Peru and Armenia since 2021.
One named and verifiable commitment is documented: since 2021 the restaurant has funded the Le Botaniste Forest with GoForest, a reforestation organisation founded by CO2logic, starting in north-west Peru and extending to Armenia in 2022. The initial campaign donated a tree for each of the company's 55 employees and matched guest donations.
VegNews reported the partnership independently in March 2021, quoting the aim of restoring biodiversity and supporting local communities. Additional commitments include partnerships with Too Good To Go and the Earth Day Initiative.
Strongest source Restaurant submission
Vegetables, pulses and whole grains form the entire kitchen structure; every dish across bowls, starters, shareable plates and desserts is plant-based.
The restaurant is fully plant-based by design: every bowl, starter, shareable plate and dessert is built from vegetables, pulses and whole grains, and no animal protein is offered anywhere, including the drinks list, where the wines are organic fermented grape juice. Dishes are structured as a whole-grain and pulse base layered with root vegetables, greens, fermented vegetable toppings and seed mixes.
The restaurant's public identity is built on plants: the apothecary concept, the botanical prescription framing, and the motto 'let food be the medicine'. The city of Ghent tourism office describes the restaurant as 100 per cent organic, plant-based food and natural wines, and plant-based identity is the recurring theme of independent coverage from Lonely Planet, Eater and De Standaard.
Sourcing signals
✓
Certified organic ingredients
✓
Low-impact beverage program
100 per cent of ingredients are certified organic by Certisys, the Belgian organic control body, independently corroborated by the city of Ghent tourism office.
Natural wines (100 per cent organic, no added sugars or preservatives), house-made juices and kombucha, and filtered water in place of bottled mineral water.
