"We can tell you all about the story behind the food on your plate"

Tilburg is a city of actions, rather than words. We do what needs to be done. Good, green ideas find their way. This can be seen and tasted in the city and its surroundings. Regional products are there for the taking. For the Nature on Your Plate series, we put on our boots an go exploring in four green areas, in and around Tilburg. Areas that give the city and its inhabitants light, air and space. Like Landschapspark Pauwels.

A land of castles, forests, grasslands and clay pits. The name Landschapspark Pauwels may not immediately ring a bell, but anyone cycling from Tilburg to the Loonse and Drunense Duinen or the Efteling will pass through it anyway. The in landscapes oh so diverse park is like an oyster: whoever finds the hidden pearl, counts himself rich. For example, with a walk among Scottish Highlanders through the Huis ter Heide estate, well hidden behind the Attero waste processing plant. Or with a fine route through De Brand, along and over natural waterways, with an orchestra of tree frogs as the icing on the cake.

Fair food

"Right here behind that farm," points out entrepreneur Tim van Gorp, "you can see right into De Brand nature reserve." From the heart of Pauwels, in Udenhout, he has been running Streekwinkel Ons Erf with local products for a year and a half: eggs from Helvoirt and chicken from Loon op Zand, beef from Cromvoirt, dairy from Drunen, bread from Tilburg, homemade soups, salads, meatballs, meals, sausage rolls and even sweets, and of course: pork from his own farm. "Our pigs are slaughtered by a butcher in Helvoirt, where we take them ourselves every week. That way we take good care of the animals - from seed to chop - and we know where our meat comes from. We have the whole chain in view." And that's what it's all about. Knowing what you're eating, where it comes from and, also of considerable importance, a fair price for the farmer.

Tim and Emmelie van Gorp in their shop, photography: Jostijn Ligtvoet

Heart for nature

Instead of expansion - if you want to make a living from just raising pigs, you need large stables nowadays - the Van Gorp family opted for expansion. Mom and dad started doing that fifteen years ago, and Tim continued the expansion. "That choice came from a heart for the nature around us, but also from personal interests. My mother runs the care farm, my father has a tree nursery back here and I do the store and the pigs. This bustle in our yard creates a nice dynamic. Sometimes a pig walks across the yard," Tim laughs, "For guests of the care farm (people with dementia or non-congenital brain injury, ed.) that's great fun to see."

Good for body and soul

With a good run-up we make a giant leap and land in the middle of nature reserve De Brand, at organic forest farm Sprankenhof - an oasis of peace that Mark Vonk and Josèt Vermeer founded here more than twenty years ago. Nature and property blend together here, Josèt explains: thanks to a pond, wooded borders and wicker hedges, roe deer, tree frogs and sometimes even a badger regularly find this place. With a picking garden, a store and a kitchen where dinners and workshops are organized, there is always something to do at Sprankenhof. Josèt: "Eating is not: just shoving something down your throat. If you take good care of your body, you take good care of yourself. And that benefits you for a lifetime. That's what we try to help people with. With advice, with our own organic seasonal products and with the regional products in the store."

Josèt Vermeer op Sprankenhof, fotografie: Jostijn Ligtvoet

Food as food is meant to be

The orchard, harvesting vegetables yourself, feasting your eyes on organic seasonal fruits and vegetables and local produce on the store's shelves: a visit to Sprankenhof helps you slow down. "And that's also what you see with our regular customers. They come here for slow shopping. By very consciously choosing products, which they then prepare and eat together with friends or family. That is food as food is meant to be eaten. But we also see people with certain allergies here. It's very nice when you can help someone who always had complaints, to enjoy food again." Products from Sprankenhof can also be found in other places in the region. Like the jams, made from fruit from their own yard. Josèt, laughing: "The other day a lady was here in the store. She suddenly came up to me in surprise: 'Gee, I didn't know you also sold Sprankenhof!' So you see, our products are famous far and wide."

Streekwinkel Ons Erf (Kuil 31, Udenhout) is open from Wednesday through Saturday. Current opening hours can be found on the website. Be sure to follow Ons Erf on Instagram en Facebook.

Biologische boshoeve Sprankenhof (Schoorstraat 26a, Udenhout) is open from Wednesday through Saturday from 11:00 till 18:00. Be sure to follow Sprankenhof also on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook, among other things for the interesting workshops and activities they organize!