Zilt Zoet Zeeland in the Zak van Zuid-Beveland

From goat's cheese to smoked eel and from strawberries to crème de cassis

Get on your bike and discover the salty and sweet flavours of the Bevelanden. Look, listen, smell, touch and taste. Smaek van Zeêland and local entrepreneurs invite you to explore lesser-known regions of Zeeland: Noord- and Zuid-Beveland. They live and work in a flavourful (sea)scape where land and water meet. This salty-sweet landscape is steeped in culinary history that tells stories of the world as it once was.

The Zak van Zuid-Beveland is above all the world of fruit: apples and pears, strawberries, red currants and, not to be forgotten, the unique cultivation of blackcurrants. Here live and work entrepreneurs who follow the seasons and take time for a personal word. This is the world of farm shops, with regional cheeses from goats and cows, surprising ice cream flavours, fruit and juice from their own orchard, and a remarkable crème de cassis made from blackcurrants. All produced in the small-scale cultural landscape of (flower) dikes, orchards, hawthorn hedges and creeks that make the Zak van Zuid-Beveland so special.

Particularly special are the various fruit vending machines you'll find in many places, offering all manner of apples, pears, strawberries and juices. And don't forget the salty world of the Western Scheldt, which has a very different atmosphere from the Eastern Scheldt. Here you can watch enormous container ships sail past. Get acquainted with smoked eel and at Strand Kaloot you can even discover traces of a prehistoric world, where fossils from a distant past wash ashore.

On this ride, flavours and scents, nature and landscape, people and history come together. A journey of discovery through Zilt Zoet Zeeland, past and present.

Check the opening hours of the participating businesses in advance. Enjoy your ride!

This route was created by Gerard van Keken, Smaek van Zeêland/Merkwaardige Identiteit

1. Van Damme Farm Shop

Just outside Heinkenszand, along a rural road, lies the farm shop of the Van Damme family. What started as a small roadside stall grew into a spacious and diverse farm shop. The specialities are their own apples, pears and juice pressed from home-grown fruit, cultivated with minimal pesticide use and natural pest control.

Alongside their own fruit, the shop sells locally sourced produce such as Zeeland strawberries, cherries, raspberries, blackberries and redcurrants. There is also plenty of choice in vegetables, salads, meat, regional products, juices and dairy.

2. Ternisse Cheese Farm

In the characteristic hedgerow landscape of Landschapspark Borsele, in Nisse, lies Ternisse cheese farm of the Nieuwenhuijse family. The speciality is their home-made raw-milk Nissenaar farmhouse cheese: available from young to extra-aged and in twelve herb varieties, such as onion, honey and clover. Raw-milk cheese is made from unpasteurised milk, where soil, landscape, climate and breed of cattle determine the flavour.

Besides cheese, their home-made farm ice cream is popular, with unusual flavours such as bolus and blackcurrant. The farm also sells farm milk, buttermilk, butter, eggs and various Zeeland regional products. Through the window you can see into the cheese-making room, and round the back children can admire the cows.

3. Appelhuisje

Along the road stands a small building that offers more than the name suggests. At the Appelhuisje of the Louws family it is not only about apples, but about a whole season of Zeeland fruit. There are plenty of apples, such as Delcorf, Elstar, Jonagold and Junami, as well as delicious apple juice pressed from their own apples. There are also Zeeland pears, cooking pears, and in season strawberries, cherries and plums.

A special feature is the fruit vending machine with nearly a hundred compartments. Customers choose their favourite fruit themselves, at any time of day — fresh Zeeland fruit straight from the orchard, literally from the wall.

4. Hoeve van der Meulen, 's-Heer Abtskerke

's-Heer Abtskerke is one of the oldest settlements in Zeeland, more than 800 years old. On the edge of the village lies Hoeve van der Meulen, a monumental 17th-century farmhouse and a rare example of the oldest Zeeland farmhouse type. After years of decline the farm was purchased in 2006 by Stichting Het Zeeuwse Landschap and fully restored. Around it the original farming landscape has been recreated, with small fields, meadows, hedgerows, drinking ponds and arable weeds.

On the farmyard lies an old standard-tree orchard — valuable both as nature and as agricultural heritage. A 0.7-kilometre orchard trail takes you past the fruit trees. Since 2024 a Herenboerderij has also been established here: a cooperative of over 200 households working together on nature-inclusive farming and biodiversity.

5. The Beet Railway through the Zak van Zuid-Beveland

During the tourist season you might well encounter a real steam train in the Zak van Zuid-Beveland. The railway line from Goes to Hoedekenskerke was once part of the 'Beet Railway', which transported sugar beets, potatoes, onions and straw. Hoedekenskerke was an important transhipment point, and in autumn extra trains full of sugar beets ran — earning the nickname 'Sukerpee-Express' (Sugar Beet Express).

The line remained in use for freight until 1971. Since 1972 the Stoomtrein Goes-Borsele Foundation has operated tourist trips along part of the old route: a nostalgic journey through the Zak van Zuid-Beveland.

6. The Standard-Tree Orchard near the Zwaakse Weel

Just out of sight of the main road, opposite the Natuurmonumenten information point at the Zwaakse Dijk, a special standard-tree orchard lies hidden, with apples, pears and mirabelle plums. The orchard is on the Zwaakse Weelroute: walkers can pass by and, when the fruit is ripe, pick some for personal use.

Standard-tree orchards have become increasingly rare in recent decades, but they offer more than fruit production: space for biodiversity, preservation of rare fruit varieties and recreational value. Natuurmonumenten and Stichting Landschapsbeheer Zeeland work to conserve and restore this living heritage.

7. Fruitsalon Kwadendamme

In Kwadendamme, on the Bonifaciusstraat, lies the Fruitsalon of Miranda and Jan. What started as a simple roadside stall — linked to Jan's father's orchard — grew into a characterful little shop. The speciality is their home-made fruit juices, such as apple juice and, in season, even strawberry juice.

You will also find seasonal fruit such as cherries, strawberries, raspberries, plums, apples and pears, seasonal vegetables including sea samphire and potatoes, and various gift items. But perhaps the best thing of all: here there is always time for a chat — a human warmth that seems to be becoming increasingly rare.

8. Kwedammertje

From mid-May to early September you can visit the strawberry vending machine of the Vermue family for the 'Zoete Kwedammertjes' (Sweet Kwedammertjes). The family grows the Elsanta variety, known for its delightful balance of sweet and fresh-tart and its irresistible fragrance. The special name originated when an Amsterdammer staying at Kwedammertje campsite spontaneously called the strawberries by this name.

The strawberries grow on the farm itself, on elevated growing beds under rain covers and in sheltered, sunny spots. The mild climate of Landschapspark Borsele, partly influenced by proximity to the sea, provides ideal growing conditions.

9. Roy's Goat Farm

At Roy's Goat Farm everything revolves around goats, craftsmanship and quality. The fresh goat's cheese is made from milk of their own goats and produced artisanally, making every cheese unique. There are soft cheeses and firmer varieties from young to aged, with herbs such as nettle, honey, clover or fenugreek. Goat's yoghurt, quark and goat-lamb meat are also available.

A special treat is the home-made goat's ice cream, with flavours such as vanilla, strawberry, chocolate and bolus. You can enjoy it on the farm terrace while the goats provide company. Guided tours, workshops and activities such as lamb day are regularly organised.

10. Kasteel Hellenburg

In Baarland two medieval castles once stood: the Hellenburg and Slot Baarland. Of the Hellenburg only the foundations remain, which came to light after the 1953 flood disaster. They lie hidden in a small nature area on the Hellenburgstraat, where a path leads past the outlines of the keep, corner towers and walls.

Slot Baarland, a short distance away, was probably built in the 13th century by the Van Renesse family and grew into a full castle. After the Eighty Years' War it fell into ruin; in the 18th century a country estate followed and around 1960 a partial reconstruction. Two vanished or re-emerged castles that recall the rich history of Baarland and its former fruit culture.

11. The Western Scheldt

North and South Beveland lie between the Eastern and Western Scheldt, but both waterways have very different histories. The Eastern Scheldt formed around the beginning of our era and was for centuries the most important sea inlet. The Western Scheldt developed much later from the small peat river called the Honte, which around the year 1000 connected with the Scheldt estuary.

Along the Western Scheldt you experience wide vistas, shipping and activity. From the late Middle Ages this waterway grew into an important shipping route to Antwerp, Ghent and Flushing. The Eastern Scheldt is quieter and more natural — since 2002 this tidal area has been a national park where nature and water still set the rhythm.

12. Rokerij Ellesdiek

Near the Western Scheldt, in the shadow of Fort Ellewoutsdijk, you will find the home smokehouse of Henk van Wijk. For more than 35 years smoking fish has been his passion. For Henk it is all about love of the craft, artisanship and pure products. He brines the fish wet or dry, seasons and marinates it, rinses and dries it, and then lets it cure and smoke over beech wood — milder than oak.

Eel and sea bass are favourites, alongside salmon and pork belly. His dream of one day having his own oyster pond in the garden, connected to the groundwater seeping from the Western Scheldt, has meanwhile come true.

13. Kaloot Beach, Borssele: fossil site

The Kaloot beach is somewhat out of the way and therefore a quiet spot. Here the Western Scheldt narrows and you have a good view of passing ships. The landscape changes noticeably from nature to industry, with wind turbines and a view of the nuclear power station. Once a large nature and recreation area, it is now a small but special nature reserve.

The beach is one of the few places in the Netherlands where fossils can be found: shells, shark teeth, ray teeth and bone fragments from the Pliocene and Pleistocene, millions of years old. Also notable is the daily environmental monitoring programme around the nuclear plant, where staff in white suits register possible ecological changes on the beach.

14. Fish Hut, Borssele

The village of Borssele has a rich and special history that goes beyond the nuclear power station built here in 1973. The name refers to the noble Van Borssele family, who from the 13th century belonged to the wealthiest families in Zeeland. After floods in the 15th and 16th centuries the village was rebuilt to a special, symmetrical village plan by Cornelis Soetwater in 1616 — four main roads from the compass points leading to a central square.

On that square came the church, school, town hall, shops and the fish hut. The location on the Western Scheldt brought trade, fishing and shipping. The 19th-century fish hut was rebuilt after the war; above the entrance a telling inscription reads: 'hear, see and stay silent' — a reference to the gossip at this meeting place.

15. Berg van Troje, Borssele

On the edge of Borssele, where sheep now graze, once stood the mighty castle of the noble Van Borssele family. On this strategic site an 11th-century motte castle was built: an artificial earthen mound with a wooden defensive tower. In the 13th century the wooden structure was replaced by a stone keep, surrounded by a ring wall and moats.

The Berg van Troje was the power centre of the influential Van Borsseles. During the storm surges of 1530 and 1532, large parts of the castle and the nearby village were swallowed by the waves. The mound survived and now forms a silent reminder of this lost world.

16. Boonman Winery

In an authentic Zeeland farmhouse barn in Nieuwdorp, the Boonman family works with Zeeland's other black gold: blackcurrants. South Beveland is the centre of Dutch blackcurrant cultivation — 75% of Dutch production comes from the municipality of Borsele, mainly around Lewedorp and Nieuwdorp. The flavour is intense: sweet and sour at the same time, with a slightly bitter and aromatic note.

The winery sells all kinds of special blackcurrant products, with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. Once a year the family organises the blackcurrant cycling tour, on the Saturday after Ascension Day — a fine opportunity to discover the area, the cultivation and the special products at close quarters.

17. Elenbaas Farm Vending Machine

On the Quarlespolderweg stands the striking farm vending machine of Coert Elenbaas, recognisable by the large apple and pear. In a modern, well-organised barn you will find a wide range, much of it from their own orchard: apples such as Delcorf, Elstar, Wellant and Goudreinet, pears such as Conference and Gieser Wildeman, and fruit juices from their own apples in special flavours such as apple-strawberry and apple-elderberry.

Coert is the third generation on the fruit farm. Outside the vending machine there is a picnic bench and small playground — a fine spot to take a break along the route.

18. Elenbaas Cherry and Strawberry Vending Machine

"You have to leave the cherries on the tree until they are at their best," says Johan Elenbaas. Together with Thijs van Overloop he launched the brand Zeeuwse Zonnekers: not a separate variety, but a selection of Zeeland cherries that meet standards for size and flavour. Johan grows no fewer than fifteen different varieties, from early to late ripening — making the cherry season as long as possible.

In Lewedorp two Elenbaas vending machines stand close together: one for cherries and strawberries, one for apples and pears. The cherry and strawberry machine is open from May through August. The real cherry season runs from approximately mid-June to mid-August: weeks of enjoying fresh Zeeland cherries, harvested at exactly the right moment.