Uit ons gastenboek

We waren (helaas te kort) even op bezoek in deze gastvrije kasteelhoeve 'Toscane in België'. We komen zeker terug en dan graag wat langer en dan verheugen we ons op een diner.

Familie Schreuder, Apeldoorn

Heritage

Don't take your dreams to the cemetery

During the mid nineties, we felt we had to live our lives differently, more so by using our hands and staying in touch with our hearts. There had to be a place somewhere where we could unite our forces, use our talents and create a space around us in which we could further develop ourselves. We ended up looking in the Haspengouw region because of its beautiful views reaching all the way to the horizon, with its quaint villages, the many castles and square castle barns and its friendly people. And after an adventuresome search we have become the happy owners of a castle barn dating back to 1648.

Timeless

It often seems as though time was not able to put its mark on de Kerckhem. The surrounding countryside created a buffer against the infringing world around it and one can still sense the presence of the original builder's soul and previous inhabitants in the courtyard. Years ago about forty or so people lived here and worked the fields, and certainly many more joined them during harvest time. This building was a village in and of itself. We tried to assign a new function to the barn and fields and hope it will continue into the future as a self-sufficient estate, without interfering with its soul. Slowly, but surely we are seeing our dreams becoming reality; we are now using the barn as a B & B in conjunction with a course and conference facility. We anticipate harvesting the fruits, herbs and flowers we gather from the orchard and cutting garden we planted, to use in both kitchen and studio.

The satisfaction of labor

De Kerckhem means a lot to us because we are able to realize our dreams here. We consider the building as well as the grounds our employer, even though it oftentimes feels as though we are just having some fun, just as those after us will surely have their turn in the pursuit of their dreams. But the enjoyment of our work, the living of our dream and the many meetings with all of you makes us both very happy people. And that we really consider to be first and foremost.