Four radishes for Stadsjochies: our recognition in the We’re Smart® Green Guide
23/09/26
We’re proud to share that Stadsjochies has been included in the We’re Smart® Green Guide, with no fewer than 4 radishes! This recognition makes our team incredibly happy, as it perfectly illustrates what we stand for every day: vegetables taking centre stage on the plate, straight from our own land and from local farmers. In this blog, we’ll explain what this recognition entails, why it means so much to us, and how you, as a guest, will benefit from it.
What is the We're Smart® Green Guide?
We’re Smart® World is an international organisation that aims to promote healthy, fair and sustainable food. It was founded in 1989 by the Belgian chef Frank Fol, also known as ‘The Vegetable Chef®’. His motto: Think Vegetables! Think Fruit!® Every year, We’re Smart® publishes the Green Guide: a ranking of restaurants around the world that give fruit and vegetables a central role in their cuisine. Restaurants are rated on a scale of 1 to 5 radishes. In this context, the following factors, amongst others, are taken into account:
- Fruit and vegetables as a starting point: Do plant-based foods really take centre stage on the plate?
- Local and seasonal: Does the kitchen use whatever is currently growing locally?
- Sustainability: How responsible are our procurement and working practices?
- Creativity and craftsmanship: How do you get the most out of a vegetable?
The more radishes, the greater the role of vegetables and the higher the culinary standard. With four radishes, we’re amongst the restaurants that present vegetables on the plate in a unique way.
Why this recognition is so important to us
At Stadsjochies, it’s all about 'The taste of real' Honest food, with authentic flavour. Much of what you taste here is grown on our own land, just a few metres from the restaurant. Whatever we don’t grow ourselves, we source from local producers wherever possible. Our growers, chefs and hostesses and hosts work together every day to make this possible: from growing and harvesting the produce ourselves to creating a wonderful dish that is served to you at your table.
This approach requires us to make choices. We cook with the seasons, so our menu changes in line with what the land provides. We do not use artificial fertilisers or chemical pesticides, but instead compost manure and plant waste. We use solar panels, minimise transport to reduce CO₂ emissions, and do everything we can to prevent food waste, including by buying sensibly and being creative with leftovers.
The Green Guide assesses precisely the things we are passionate about. The fact that an international organisation which has been championing vegetables for over 35 years recognises our work in this way feels like a huge compliment to the whole team. It shows that sustainable and locally sourced cooking isn’t just good for the world around us, but is also simply delicious.
What does this mean for you as a guest?
If you see those four radishes on display here from now on, you’ll know what to expect: dishes in which vegetables take centre stage, prepared with care and creativity, and sourced as much as possible from our own country or the local area. That doesn’t mean you’ll only be eating vegetables here, but it does mean that vegetables are never just an afterthought.
It also means that every visit is a little different. What ends up on your plate depends on the season and on what our growers are harvesting that week. That’s exactly what makes it so enjoyable to come back again and again.
Come and try it for yourself
For us, these four radishes aren’t the end of the road, but an encouragement to carry on along the path we’ve chosen. We warmly invite you to experience our green, sustainable culinary world for yourself. Whether you’re popping in for lunch, dinner or just want to take a stroll through the countryside: we’d love to see you at Stadsjochies!