The Van der Valk hotels group began a trial of home-delivered meals in Apeldoorn on Thursday, joining the race to make fully-fitted kitchens in Dutch homes redundant, the Algemeen Dagblad said on Thursday.

The initiative comes from the group’s Bob Zeeuw van der Laan who said the Apeldoorn hotel had been supplied with vegetables from the hotel’s own gardens since 2013.

In 2017, he opened a fresh food shop nearby, Valk Vers, which offered take-away meals and fresh vegetables.  The home delivery meals is the next step, he told the AD.

The meals will be offered in two varieties: ‘stronger’ for for people who take part in sports and need extra energy, and ‘lighter’ for less active people who aim for a healthy lifestyle. The meals cost between €3.50 for children and €9.50 for an adult and include a Van der Valk restaurant favourite  – chicken, potatoes and apple sauce.

The Dutch market for home-delivered meals is huge and expanding rapidly.  Market leaders which cover most areas include Thuisbezorgd, Deliveroo and Foodora.