The culinary pop-up concept ‘Dinner With The Queen’ | More herbal than ever

23-3-2023

After a year long break the culinary pop-up concept ‘Dinner With The Queen’ is back in Belgium. The formula remains the same, but there are a few new names on their poster. On the menu? Herbal goodness and a big portion of climate awareness.

3 minutes read

Dinner With The Queen

Of every ten bites of food we take, seven of them come from bees: that is how important these pollinators are for humans. Yet we struggle with massive bee mortality, and we surely can take some more action to avoid this. That is why five years ago, nature lover Gilles De Backer of Utopia events established ‘Dinner With The Queen’: a culinary experience combined with climate awareness that brings an homage to the queen bee.

The success formula of previous editions remains largely the same: a fairytale-like dinner along wine and fruit vines where climate awareness and local partnerships play a central part. However, some young promises join the formula this year: chef on duty is Michiel van Colenberghe, who earned his stripes in former star restaurant ‘t Huis van Lede and later De Traagheid in Tielt. He is assisted by Lode Claus- scion of the fourth generation of herb growers at the reputable Herbs Claus. It’s not the first collaboration of this duo: previously they wrote the book “Herbs Growing Cooking’. For Dinner With The Queen, they translate their shared passion for kitchen herbs into a sensual five-course menu.

Herbal mocktails, artisanal herbal tea, Cuvée Fourchette and wine

For the thirsty people among us, Lode serves adapted herbal mocktails and artisanal herbal teas. Lovers of more spirited drinks, in addition to the included wines, can feast on a crisp Cuvée Fourchette-the specialty beer brewed by brewery Van Steenberge exclusively for Dinner With The Queen.

This culinary pop-up concept is a feast with impact

Those who want to be a part of this culinary pop-up concept has to travel to Purfruit: a biological self-picking garden that lays hidden in a the green oases of the Leiestreek in Belgium. After an appetizer underneath the old Oaktree, the local farmer and beekeeper take you on a journey: during a short walk along the fruit vines and berry bushes you will not only learn about the queen bee, but also about the ingredients that you later will find on your plate. The walk ends in the cosy sailcloth tent, where Lode and Michiel immerse you in their world of herbs.

The visitors do not only learn about the importance of oxygen, but are also assigned a piece of Brazilian forest. In collaboration with Retopia, a project with amongst others artist Arne Quinze, Dinner With The Queen plants one m2 of forest per visitor in the Atlantic Woods. This project aims to reconnect the remaining parts of the heavily exploited rainforest.

Signing up

Dinner with the Queen takes place from June 30 to July 30. Tickets cost €169,- per person (includes five-course meal and drinks à volonté) and can be ordered through their website.

Website: Dinner With The Queen

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