Just ten minutes from Amsterdam, the city gives way to wide-open polder landscapes, grazing animals and life on a farm.
Set along the Amstel in the Duivendrechtse polder, Over-Amstel Boerderij is a working farm centred around food, nature and craftsmanship. There’s a flourishing vegetable garden, animals roaming the grounds, a and plenty of space to experience a slower, decidedly Dutch side of life.
“At Over-Amstel Boerderij, we like to keep things close. We grow, make and cook as much as we can here on the farm, following the rhythm of the seasons and the land around us. It keeps us connected to where things come from and to the care behind how they are made.”
Edward - Over-Amstel Boerderij
5 things we love about Over-Amstel Boerderij:
1. The wide-open Dutch landscape
You don’t have to travel far from Amsterdam to suddenly feel very far from Amsterdam.
Over-Amstel Boerderij sits surrounded by the open landscape of the Duivendrechtse polder, with fields, water and seemingly endless Dutch skies stretching out around it. It’s hard to believe the Dutch Capital is only ten minutes away.
2. A vegetable garden you’ll want to get lost in
Rows of vegetables, herbs, flowers and more green than we could name: the garden is one of our favourite parts of the farm.
What grows here follows the seasons, and much of the harvest eventually makes the short journey from garden to kitchen. Take your time wandering between the beds and seeing what’s growing.
A very good reminder that beautiful things rarely need to travel far.
3. Making your own Dutch cheese
There’s something particularly satisfying about learning how something you normally pick up at the supermarket is actually made.
At Over-Amstel Boerderij, you can step into the cheesery and try your hand at making cheese yourself. Milk, cultures, curds and a little patience eventually become your very own cheese.
It’s hands-on, wonderfully Dutch and probably one of the better souvenirs you can bring home from a day in the countryside.
And if you’d rather leave the cheesemaking to the experts, stop by the farm shop. You’ll find homemade cheese, freshly baked bread and plenty of other delicious things to take home, or to enjoy during a picnic in the garden.
4. The animals that call the farm home
A farm wouldn’t be a farm without its residents.
Spend some time wandering around Over-Amstel Boerderij and you’ll come across the animals that are part of everyday life here. Together with the gardens, fields and cheesery, they make this feel like a place that is genuinely being farmed rather than countryside created simply to be looked at.
Come for the views, stay to say hello to the animals.
5. From farm to table
Exploring the farm is one thing. Tasting what grows and is made here is another.
The restaurant at Over-Amstel follows the rhythm of the seasons, working with ingredients from its own vegetable garden and farm wherever possible, alongside produce from the surrounding area. What’s growing just outside can find its way onto your plate.
"We recognise that same attention in Ajen: thoughtful products, rooted in nature, that make even an everyday moment feel considered."
The setting is just as much part of the experience. Housed in the converted barn of the historic farmhouse, the restaurant brings together old farm details with an open kitchen and views of life on the farm.
It ties the whole place together rather nicely: see where things grow, discover how they’re made, and then taste the farm for yourself.
Over-Amstel Boerderij
Duivendrechtse polder