I recently had the pleasure of having a Dutch relative come to stay and, knowing that some of our clients have Dutch origins, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to quiz them on the differences between life here and across the channel.

I was surprised (and impressed) to learn that the Dutch people had successfully managed to sue their Government over climate change in June 2015, ordering the state to reduce emissions by 25% within 5 years.  Apparently the result was a big surprise for the people, but very much in keeping with the Dutch mentality of being direct about what you want.

Some other interesting facts include:

• The well-known black and white Friesian cows are so-named as they originate from Friesland, where my relative lives, and are famous all over the world for their high milk yield.
• Aside from cheese, tomatoes and tulips are also major exports from the Netherlands.
• Reclaimed land is flat and fertile which makes it ideal for growing, giving the Netherlands its world-renowned reputation for horticulture and agriculture.

How was this land reclaimed? We might be familiar with windmills for grinding grain; however, the original reason for the high number of windmills in the Netherlands was to pump water out of the lowlands to recover farmland and defend against floods. The silt from the reclaimed land was an added bonus for cultivation and grazing livestock.

I couldn’t leave bikes out of the conversation; there is a Dutch love affair with the humble bicycle. Everybody has a bike and there are actually more bikes than people – many own at least 2 of them! Electric bikes (or e-bikes) are more popular than over here; they have a battery that you charge to give you an extra bit of ‘oomph’ while you pedal.

As you may be aware, there was a bit of a stir caused when, back in October this year UK retailers started charging 5p for plastic bags.  My relative informs me that this has been the case in the Netherlands for many years and they earn money for recycling bottles at the supermarket!

Also, each household has a refuse bin with a barcode, as waste is weighed by the authority and recorded, and you will get charged extra if you go over a certain quota. How is that for pro-active?! Going ‘Dutch’ never looked so green.

As a parting gift, try this Dutch tongue twister: achtentachtig gaskachels – which, you’ll be pleased to know, roughly translates to 88 gas fires in English. Stay warm this winter!