There is only one thing a great city needs: a quick escape route to the countryside! The Ketelhoeve (FR: Ferme du chaudron, EN: Kettle farm) in Anderlecht is the perfect getaway.
I grew up in a small village in West Flanders. Surprisingly, a large part of Brussels quite resembles the rural scenery of my youth: Neerpede in Anderlecht. It is one of the last historical remains of the Flemish rural countryside that surrounded Brussels for centuries. Vast fields, small winding streets, puffing tractors and ponds with ducks define Neerpede. Also, it is dotted with farms. One of them is the Ketelhoeve.
This late 19th-century farm was handed over from generation to generation in the family Snoeck. Until 2024, it was fully renovated and reopened as a hub revolving around local and fair food. Several Brussels organizations team up on the Ketelhoeve site. Together, they make sure everyone can enjoy a perfect bucolic day out.
Foodies eat in the Gastrosophes restaurant, offering delicious meals based on rescued biological food. Homeless people can enjoy a DoucheFLUX solidarity meal. Shopaholics buy locally in the lovely convenience store with fruits, vegetables and herbs from the nearby Champ du Chaudron field, Kiekebich sourdough bread or other regional products. Learnthusiasts participate in cooking, agriculture or composting workshops. And while heat seekers sit up a sweat in the Koti Sauna, sporties just go jogging around the ponds to the same end.
Every time I go, the Ketelhoeve proves: it can be hard leaving the countryside for the city.
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291 Insider Tips from our local Spotters
Authentic Stories by Real People
Escape the crowd & travel slow 🐌
✓ 291 Insider Tips from our local Spotters