Organic and seasonal.
Everything that we eat is 90% organically, seasonally and regionally grown if possible. We do this in the conviction that it just tastes better and, incidentally, is healthier and less polluted. (However, I am of the opinion that this should be assessed by every one individually, because in the end it is also a matter of opportunity.) We do not compromise on dairy products and cheese, although we think adequate animal housing and short delivery are more important than any organic certification. Our fruit and vegetables we prefer directly from the farmers in the surrounding areas, by organic delivery, market or best of all: out of our pot garden (in the absence of a real vegetable garden we grow more or less successfully tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes and lots of crazy herbs in pots, buckets and boxes on the doorstep). And for the happiness of the peculiar smell of home-grown tomato plants to the touch or the delicate daily growing seeds of herbs, let alone the self-imposed crop of potatoes, I have no words. But the vegetables from the farmer 10km away also keep impressing me with its appearance and taste. I always look forward to wednesdays when earthy carrots come in our ‘Biokiste’ – organic box delivery. Even when rinsed under water they already spread their magic carrot fragrance!

Meat and fish.
For meat and fish we are even more picky. Meat we get from the surrounding area or directly from the hunter, with fish we have here in the North best delivery, while it still is important to take a look at the fishing conditions for each species.
For us this means that we very rarely have meat and then spend much more money for it, but it also tastes fantastic then. I can only encourage everyone: Buy directly from the farmer who treats his animals well and gives them good and real food and no antibiotics, at an organic butcher or asks in your friends for a hunter.
The same applies to dairy products and eggs. It pays to find out where is a (organic) farmer who produces, for example, also cheese. Or you can buy cheese in the health food store or at the market with small stalls that deal directly from the producer. I do not want to talk at this point about the keeping of animals in the meat industry, let alone on the quantities of drugs that are consumed by eating these animals. There are countless reports, books and articles about this topic that show very clearly that this terribly ‘produced’ meat cannot be a good, meaningful or nutritious product.

Salt and oil.
Salt is in my opinion one of the most underrated ingredient in the kitchen. Since I’ve encountered many years ago a fine fleur de sel in the French market, for me there’s no chemically produced sodium chloride, but I have been hooked to the individual nature of seasoning salts. For potatoes and pasta, I use sea salt and all other foods are usually only seasoned at the table, with brine or rock salt or a (super quick!) homemade blend of spices and coarse Himalayan salt. Natural salts taste quite different, differ in color and crystal form, and it really is a lot of fun to taste them through! Although they are much more expensive than commercially produced salt they are unequally healthier and contain valuable minerals and trace elements.
Even with oils, there are worlds in quality, cold pressed is not the same as cold pressed, not to mention all of the raw materials. We usually have a cheap olive oil from the organic supermarket in the house, a high-quality olive oil, coconut oil and one or two good, special nut oils I only use cold on food, for example, on a salad or steamed vegetables. Again, you have to shell out much more money for good quality, but the taste is worth it. Promised!